Beyond the River's Edge
by dolphina23
Summary: Naruto had all he wanted in life; his father, his godfather, friends at school. But, one woman's obsession turns all he knows to cinder and ash, noxious and painful. But, pain, however deeply embedded, can still be overcome with help. Abuse,M/M, M/F,Tort
1. Prolgue

**Author's Note: **Hello all. I'm here with my second fan-fiction, my first being 'The Fall of the Dogs of War' which I am still in the process of writing. This is just something new. I've had it in my head for a little while and managed an entire plot (probably also novel sized). And now, to paint it out on paper so your minds are overflowing with my imaginings. This is a story about human potential, the perversity that can taint the soul and the possible outcomes of both, with a little romance (perhaps a lot) and the most realistic coming of age ideations I can manage.

**Warning:** It involves a male/male pairing for one of the main characters and a heterosexual pairing for another. I'm sure you'll not be offended should you choose to continue reading, if you are then you can turn right back around. If not, please continue on, my parlor is open and the show is just about to start. Enjoy.

**Beyond the River's Edge**

**Prologue**

Naruto squealed in delight as he chased after the dragonfly flitting over the water. The rocky embankment dropped steeply from just beyond his feet to the icy flow, run off from the winter weather. It was unusually warm, which was why his father had decided it would be a lovely chance to take in some fresh air and had taken Naruto along with an old friend of his to the stream a few miles from home. Naruto loved it here. In the summer, he chased bullfrogs and dragonflies into the water and squished his toes deep into the mud until he had to fight to yank them out, laughing all the way. In the winter, he enjoyed the moon reflecting off the ice at night and the sharp quality to the air. It was never the same, even when at home, as it was by the stream. There was no safer place for him. Well, aside from his father's arms, warm and soft and strong all at the same time. Naruto thought there was no one else like him and no one else came close to the shining light of his father's eyes on him when he went off to school, or the frown when he was serious, the laughter when he was being silly. Naruto loved to hear his father laugh. It made him feel the bubbling in his own chest until he couldn't stop giggling . . . and that was good.

Only seven years old and he knew those things. They made him happy, even when he got upset. He couldn't help it. His father understood and so, to a point, did Kakashi. Naruto liked him, almost as much as he liked his Dad. But, right now, he only loved him about half as much. He couldn't help that either. But, when Naruto had told Kakashi that after the young man had asked him how he felt, Naruto had burst into tears. He felt so sorry that he couldn't love them both the same way. He was afraid Kakashi would leave and become lonely and his father wouldn't be able to help feeling sad for his friend; all this because of Naruto. Then Kakashi, because he was so much smarter than Naruto and knew how to say all the right things, whether it made him laugh or listen, told him that you could love people in different ways, even in different amounts. It wasn't wrong. Of course, Naruto was still too young to fully understand that there were certain imitations of love, like obsession, dominance, and the kind of love no grown person should feel for someone unable to choose.

Soon, it would be time for a break. The bustling brook that seemed to laugh along with Naruto called to Kakashi as well. He sauntered over to where he'd last seen the child and narrowed his eyes, shielding them from the bright rays of the sun. Raising a hand he caught sight of something yellow flashing by. No power on earth could have moved so fluidly, or so quickly, as Kakashi did. He had been programmed, it seemed, for the care and patience that children required and sought after. A squeal erupted from the squirming and wriggling mass in his arms and he looked down, blinking in surprise.

"What's this? I was looking to catch myself a firefly and I've caught a little water demon instead? What a shame." He moved closer to the brook and held the laughing child over it.

"No!" Naruto cried out, though he couldn't hide the giggle.

"No? Well, if you're not a Water Sprite intent on stealing my cookies, maybe you can help me with a problem."

Naruto, hanging upside down now, peered at Kakashi owlishly, mind turning furiously as he fought the urge to play along or to wriggle free so he could take all the dessert. His father made the best cookies, after all. Deciding he liked Kakashi too much to hurt his feelings, he opened his mouth only to gurgle more laughter. Kakashi was now tickling him . . . while he was still hanging upside down.

"Now, see, I'm looking for someone, little Water Sprite," he went on, unfazed at the laughter that had burned Naruto's face red. Or, perhaps that was due to the pressure of his head being so long in the wrong direction. Kakashi shrugged.

"W-who . . . are y-you looking for, Kakashi?" Naruto gasped out.

"Strange, I never said my name. Are you sure you're not a fairy out to claim my wisdom?" He narrowed his eyes at the child, whom he'd finally let upright only to swing him onto a shoulder, as he carried him away from the brook.

"Noooo, I'm not a fairy," Naruto said, in that delightful way of children, all innocent and impatient and exasperated by silly adults.

"Oh. Then, what are you?"

At this, Naruto threw his little chest out and pointed proudly at himself, beaming so wide Kakashi thought the sun had fallen, leaving the rest of the mortal coil to darkness and despair. He really did love this child, as much as he thought himself capable and more than he gave credit for, according to Minato.

"I'm me! Naruto, my Otousan's only boy, but not a baby!" Naruto stressed the last part. It was important. His father liked to call him his 'baby boy'. Naruto thought that Minato had, somehow, lost track of time and forgotten. Afraid for him, Naruto had begged Kakashi to buy his father a watch. When Kakashi had asked why and naruto had whispered it to him, he had nearly collapsed. He'd had to struggle so hard not to laugh himself into sore muscles and, very possibly, unconsciousness. Of course, holding it in could be detrimental to his health also, or so Minato always told him.

"Hey, Kakashi," Naruto chirped, now sitting on Kakashi's shoulders and swinging his legs languidly.

"Yes, Naruto?"

"Are you and my otousan getting married?"

Kakashi, with all his strength, did not drop Naruto, though his jaw ached and his eyes watered at the strain of holding in his laughter. Damn, but if Minato heard about this, he would never let him try and rationalize the benefits of keeping one's emotions in check. A stifled snickering from behind him gave him very little hope. Turning, they met with the very real and very amused sight of Namikaze Minato, Naruto's father. His hair, styled differently, but with the same texture and color as Naruto's and his blue eyes, also an older version of Kakashi's young charge, stood out clearly among the various browns of the late winter trees.

Minato cocked an eyebrow at his long time friend and said, "Go ahead, answer the boy, Kakashi."

Still choking back the pervasive mirth trying to seep through his chest, he looked up to see Naruto's innocent gaze facing him . . . upside down. What a wonderful way to have such a conversation. Kakashi cleared his throat loudly and very quietly, so Naruto could not possibly overhear, he answered.

"I'll kill you for this, you know that, right?" he said to his old friend. Kakashi kept his gaze level but found the tugging at his hair by questing, and likely dirty, little fingers rather distracting.

"So, so are you?"

Minato, seeming unruffled by Kakashi's blatant threat, cocked his eyebrow at him and smiled in a fair imitation of his son. Though, no one could do it better than Naruto as far as Kakashi had ever seen and he had walked the world far longer than anyone realized, despite his relatively young age. He may only have been twenty-two, seven years younger than Minato, but his mind was sharper and could be more deadly than was comfortable with most people.

"Yeah, are you?" Minato mimicked, again annoyingly imitating his son. Had Naruto been older and had Minato aged well, Kakashi would have had difficulty telling them apart, even with his advanced skills in observation and retention.

Kakashi sighed.

"Whatever unholy maggot of hell gave you that idea, little Sprite?"

"Kakashi! None of that in front of my son!" Minato cried disapprovingly, leveling a steely glare on him while reaching up to extricate Naruto from his clutches. Kakashi grinned devilishly at him. Minato was not paying any attention and that satisfied him just fine.

"Now, Naruto, Kakashi is Otousan's friend. I like him well enough to be around, but not enough to marry."

"But," Naruto's lip had begun to quiver mercilessly and Kakashi began to register panic. Just what the hell had the kid heard?

"But, you said . . . you said," here Naruto began to gasp and reflexively grip and let loose the fabric of Minato's shirt.

"I said what, baby? What's wrong?"

Naruto hadn't even registered the word Minato had used for him and that made Kakashi panic further. And then, the stone broke open, the walls crumbled and the entire world lay witness to a tragedy beyond measure. Anger burned and swelled inside Kakashi as tears funneled down the tiny scars on both of Naruto's cheeks, the only thing truly separating him from becoming a carbon copy of his father. The boy had begun to wail.

"You said that he was family, and family love each other . . . and they . . . they . . . they get _married_ when they're big people so they don't leave!"

Naruto, frustrated and stressed had sobbed and hiccupped his whole way through the only reasoning he could come up with at his age. If you were family, you didn't leave. In order to prevent anyone from leaving, you married them. It was that simple. Minato stared at Kakashi, stunned. Kakashi assumed he looked the same as him. He felt the same. Where did Naruto come up with all his ideas? Minato hushed his son and rubbed soothing circles along his back until the child had calmed enough to be able to listen to them.

"Hey, hey, there, baby boy, it's alright. I'm not going anywhere and neither is Kakashi."

After a few moments, not to be completely consoled, the boy shook his head numbly and stuck his thumb in his mouth. This time, Kakashi stepped around to Minato's back so he could free it.

"Now, now, none of that. What you're father said is true. I'm not going anywhere and neither is he. Now, tell me who said that about big people?" Naruto stayed mute and clutched harder at his father's shirt, burying his head as deep as he could into Minato's shoulder. His little body still shook with spasms of unshed tears and Kakashi had to breathe evenly to continue.

"Naruto? Will you tell me? Please? I promise that it's safe to do so. Even if someone does something wrong, it's always safe to come tell us anything."

Minato watched Kakashi keenly and when they made eye contact, raised another eyebrow, unable to hold in the smile glinting off his eyes. Kakashi narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips, but waited patiently for Naruto to speak up.

"Daddy?" he cried meekly.

"Hmmm, little one?" Again Naruto made no move to chastise his father and Kakashi once again grew worried. This wasn't like Naruto at all.

"What happened to Mommy?"

Kakashi caught the pain in his friends' eyes before it swirled behind a veil of hollow indifference. Minato was not as good at hiding as he thought, despite Kakashi, who was better, having learned from him. After a long struggle from Minato to keep his voice light and neutral and one from Naruto not to cry and miss anything, Kakashi heard something about what he had been wondering for years.

"She's someplace far away where we can't follow, but she's safe and warm and happy. Well, mostly happy. She can't be here with you . . . or me, but that's okay. You know why?"

"Why?" Naruto asked, voice sounding desolate and inconsolable. Kakashi quivered, suddenly cold.

"Because, Naruto, she gets to watch over everything, including you."

"Okay," Naruto said.

He seemed satisfied with what his father had told him and Kakashi wondered how long it would last before he asked again. He hoped Minato would be ready to tell his son a little more than what he'd just let on, for Naruto's sake. He might not have her anymore, but that didn't mean Naruto should suffer never knowing anything about her. Some children, after knowing only what they'd been told by others, claimed not to care whether or not they had ever found out in the first place. Naruto was different; Naruto was special. Kakashi knew that and he knew that Minato knew that. He just hoped it wasn't too late when the truth finally came around, whatever it was.

"You know," came Minato soft baritone, "you still haven't told us why you're so unhappy about Kakashi only being a friend and not my fiancée."

Kakashi gritted his teeth as Minato wiggled his eyebrows at him. What a way to lighten the mood. Well, for the adults anyway. Naruto looked worn out from crying, as Kakashi imagined he was, eyes already red and puffing out, thumb once again in mouth and a soft sigh pushing his small ribs out. Such a small thing, this little life in front of him; and yet Kakashi had always felt drawn to everything about Naruto and Minato. He wondered idly if it wasn't some kind of misplaced curiosity from his own upbringing, but let it pass for now.

"It's 'cause. . . It's 'cause, Kakashi loves me and loves you and he's lonely and people don't need to be lonely if they have other people. People should get married then, so they won't be lonely. So, are you getting married? You said . . . you said he was like family."

Kakashi smiled at the boy's effort at trying to figure it all out, and in one afternoon no less. There were adults who _still_ had trouble with concepts like love, and yes, even family, sometimes, e_specially_ family. Kakashi heard Minato sigh though he could not see it. He was facing Naruto and stroking the boy's hair, smiling at him gently. He seemed to always feel better when Kakashi did that while he babysat for him, and with his father there, it was bound to work overly well.

"Well, he is like family, but a different kind of family than the kind you marry. You'll understand when you're older."

Naruto's eyes welled up again and Kakashi didn't not want to see him cry, especially so soon after they had calmed him down.

"Hush, Naruto. Hush. It's okay," he rested a hand against his heated cheek and raised the boy's face a little so he could look him in the eye.

"How about this? You think of a special name, just for me and no one else. That way, I'll be family in a way no one else is to you, okay?"

Naruto frowned, considering for a moment then his eyes lit up and a grin spread across his face slowly. Kakashi was instantly relieved. Whatever it was, he would take it, just to see that smile again.

"I'll call you Kakashi-ojiisan!" he cried. Kakashi groaned and Minato rumbled laughter that instantly made the boy bubble over with it as well.

"Daddy, stop! That tickles!" he crowed.

"Sorry, cricket, but that was something Daddy found very funny. It will make Kakashi very happy, too, to hear you call him that."

Kakashi forced the long string of swears back down his throat and swallowed them whole. God, he wanted to kill him. Naruto pouted suddenly and Kakashi cocked his head to the side in a way that seemed to give no end to the laughter the boy manifested. Like water spouting from the earth, it was always welcome, always treasured and seldom hard to find.

"It's too long," the boy said sternly.

"What's too long?" Kakashi shot back.

"Your new name. I know!" The boy threw a hand in the air excitedly and almost toppled out of his father's grip. Minato, knowing his son well, tightened his fingers around the child's ribs and admonished him softly.

"Naruto, what did I say about moving around so much while I'm carrying you?"

"Um, not to do it anymore? Sorry," Naruto mumbled.

Minato's stern eyes softened slightly and he drew back into a tight hug.

"Mmmm, what am I going to do with you?"

"You could throw me in the river!" the boy answered happily.

"What?!" both of the young men stopped short.

"Uzumaki Naruto, why in Buddha's name, would you say such a thing?"

"Well, 'cuz then, 'cuz then, Kakashi could go swimming with me."

The excited boy had apparently forgotten all about the heavy conversations they'd just had. However, Kakashi knew better. Naruto liked to play. It was familiar to him. When he wasn't sure of himself and he didn't know if his father could help, he always asked to play using the strangest words. It was his way of getting them to see that he was still confused but would rather not talk about it just yet. He always brought the problem up again, Kakashi was certain. He'd had enough calls at the oddest times informing him that Naruto was too serious or too sensitive for his own good. Minato needed a lot of coaxing to believe that he was raising his son well, and Naruto needed a lot of coaxing to reassure that his place in the world was not overlooked and he was not ignored or left behind.

"Naruto," Minato looked at Kakashi pleadingly, "we can't go swimming and that is certainly no way to ask."

Naruto's lower lip came out again in a pout, but Kakashi caught the difference. The boy wasn't really upset. After a moment, the child brightened again and sat up in his father's arms a little.

"Okay, but instead, can Kakashi-ojii come over for dinner? And can we have ika-, ika-, ikashogayaki? And, I'll clean my room and do my chores. But, Dad," and now his voice had gone so serious, Kakashi nearly forgot he was talking to a seven year old, "it's not because I know I was bad for what I said, or because, because Kakashi is coming and I know I need to be good. I did a bad thing. I s-said a bad thing that made you worry and I s-sorry."

Naruto dropped a word or two and occasionally stuttered when making certain sounds. His speech therapist had related to Minato, and of course Kakashi had had to hear about it, that, though he was seven, he saw things very differently from most boys his age. Indeed, by Kakashi's own assessment, he saw things differently, at times, than many adults. He truly was very sensitive and Minato had told him how worried he was that it would end up hurting him deeply later. He did everything he could to give Naruto a balanced life. Being financially sound certainly helped. Taking Naruto to the doctor regularly and making sure to use every service available to single parents also worked to his credit. Kakashi just wished the man could see it every once in a while.

"Well, I'm not sure. Kakashi, what do you think? If Naruto can finish all his chores and write me three paragraphs about why he needs to speak more clearly when he wants something and not say things he knows will make people worry, can you come by for dinner?"

Kakashi could not see his face, being behind Minato the whole way down the trail out of the woods and onto the sidewalk, but he could hear the smile clearly. Naruto's eyes danced in front of him and Kakashi could not see himself falling asleep at night without knowing he'd made him happy.

"Hmmm, I'll think about it. I'll be around by seven if I can make it."

Naruto's eyes twinkled and Kakashi felt the last bit of tension from the earlier upset leave his shoulders. He would definitely have to stop by now.

"You know, I may not make it this time," he warned.

"I may have found someone else to occupy my time with."

"Nu-uh, Kakashi-ojii is family and unless they have a really good reason, they have to go to the other family's house. Only if they get in real trouble are they allowed out of it. And then, they have to call, or make someone else call or the other family will worry. And, if they worry, they might call police, which they should do 'cuz it's not nice to not know where your family is" Naruto looked extremely proud of himself at the moment and Minato laughed uproariously and swung him around to face them both.

"And, _where_, may I ask, did you hear _this_ little nugget of information?"

"From school," Naruto informed them.

"A boy in class told me. He's very nice. I don't think he likes me though."

"A boy in class, huh? Why don't you think he likes you?"

";Cuz after I talked to him, he went away fro a long time and then, then he didn't remember talking to me. But, he let me sit with him at lunch today, and I smiled real wide and told him I was happy 'cuz he let, just like you taught me! I said I just couldn't leave him alone like that."

"Oh, really, and what did he say?"

"Nothing," Naruto seemed to think for a bit before continuing. "But, he smiled a little and when I left he asked if we could sit together tomorrow!"

"Well, see then, he probably wants to be friends with you but he might be shy. Just be careful when you play that you be nice to him and don't call him names or use any bad words or do anything you know you shouldn't if you get upset or angry."

"I won't," Naruto beamed. Kakashi rolled his eyes at Minato and muttered under his breath that he was a little too pushy. Minato informed him lowly that Naruto knew very well to tell him if something was bothering him about his father and if Kakashi didn't like it, he could eat outside and only come in after Naruto had gone to bed. Kakashi, knowing when to give up, said nothing. Suddenly, Minato burst into a fit of laughter that startled both his traveling companions as they walked down the last few streets home.

"Minato, what . . . ?"

"Kakashi-ojii!" Minato struggled out between gasp for air. His laughter, joined by Naruto's because all laughter is contagious, accompanied them all the way to the house and through the front door, only muffled slightly when it closed behind them.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Just a reminder that this story will contain both a male/male main pairing and a male/female pairing. Also, because I am now working on two very detailed and long novellas for Naruto fandom, updates may be a little more infrequent than previously done before. Please, don't lose hope. You will have more than enough between the two to remain sated.

Also, the given name of the woman at the end is very important. I specifically researched female names to find a particular translation of certain English words, and chose the one I thought her most suited for.

As with my other story, all Japanese words are simply place or people names, the use of the respective suffixes after names or occasionally for 'father' and/or 'mother'. I detest merely sticking in Japanese words simply because the author knows those few or wants to look 'cool' by doing so, which is the only reason, save for a few gems, I can come up with to put it inside the bulk of the fan-fiction found elsewhere. And now, to captivate you!

**Chapter 1**

Naruto awoke to gray light filtering through the curtains in his bedroom. Something had jerked him from sleep suddenly. Perhaps he'd been dreaming. He lay still, listening to the low rumble of thunder in the distance. The sound and the darkened room began to slowly lull him back to sleep until an old feeling trickled in and tickled him awake again. He frowned, confused. The last time he'd felt anything close to it, he had tried to talk Kakashi and his father into getting married. Or, that's what his Dad, Namikaze Minato, liked to tell him . . . all the time. Naruto couldn't resist the flush and the embarrassed mumbling every time he brought it up. Kakashi, too, seemed to delight in making him miserable, telling a story that Naruto barely remembered. It had been nearly five years ago, after all. He'd only been seven years old and could hardly be faulted for not wanting what family he had to go away. He wouldn't even touch the subject of his mother while talking to them, a person he knew nothing about except her family name, something that he carried proudly despite the lack of knowledge. His father seemed too sad for her not to have meant a great deal to him and Naruto trusted that, so he was proud of her.

Sighing, he lurched out of bed and made his way to the kitchen to get some breakfast. It was so nasty outside, he'd much rather crawl right back to bed. But, there were semester finals to take and his father had always pushed for him to do his best. With all that he'd done for him, Naruto could not deny that he should do all he could to make his father happy, even if school was a waste of time and taught him nothing he thought was necessary for an artist.

He liked to paint, draw, sketch in charcoal and even delved into media arts for about a month until his Dad had come into his room one night to find the printer taken apart. It didn't have the right components to make the correct color combinations and Naruto had decided to fix it. That had been when he was ten years old. Naruto had since lost interest in media arts, but had kept up with drawing and painting. He rented books on technique and style from the local library and had signed up for a new art and design class starting next year. He'd already completed introductory courses in drawing and painting his first year of middle school. His teachers had praised his work as flawless and insightful, far beyond anything they'd ever seen from someone his age. His father never let him forget that, either, and that made him smile, every time. Now twelve and in his second year at Kinshin Middle School, he still felt that math and proper kanji spelling was not nearly as important as color theory or the uses of different perspective while drawing.

Opening the fridge door in a daze, Naruto fished out the milk and bread that his father insisted stayed fresher when refrigerated. He wanted eggs, really, but he wasn't allowed to use the top of the stove. His father was a little overprotective in Naruto's opinion, but he went along with it. He had to admit that he was a little lacking in coordination, though he had never been one to trip over his own feet, as his father also liked to relate to him. He failed to mention that Naruto had been four at the time. Naruto had later prized it out of Kakashi, and then went to town on Minato for winning 'The Most Embarrassing Father/Son Moments' Award. He shrugged as he opened the carton and drank straight from it. He could live with a little embarrassment if it meant he could still see his Dad and Kakashi every day. He loved his father. Kakashi was a surrogate, but not a replacement, and that was how they both enjoyed their times together. Thinking about the grey-haired, lazy man with the scar running through his right eyelid made Naruto remember why he was up at quarter to five on a Monday when he didn't have to start school until eight thirty. A shuffle of sound from behind him made him nearly spurt out a mouthful of milk all over the floor.

"What do think you're doing, young man?"

Naruto shuddered silently and turned beseeching eyes toward his father, who happened to be standing, arms folded, in the doorway connecting to the living room, and through that, to his father's study. Naruto didn't have to guess that his father had been working on the new article for the Denrei Chronicle, where he worked as a history/arts researcher. Everyone at the magazine did. Naruto backed up a few steps and grinned sheepishly, taking care to keep his hands at his sides. He'd picked up a bad habit in elementary school of rubbing the back if his neck when he was nervous or embarrassed and was trying to avoid giving away his discomfort so easily.

"Well?"

"Uh, putting the milk back?"

Minato tensed up and waited, frowning down at his son.

"After I already drank from it? Sorry, I'll finish it off," he continued lamely. There was almost three quarter's of the carton left. Naruto knew the combination of too much dairy so early in the day and the exercise he was about to do would make him sick. He felt cold shivers run up his spine just at the thought of throwing up, he hated it so much. He'd gotten sick with a stomach virus once. He'd spent the better part of a whole week between the bathroom and the bed, unable to move without causing the nausea to bubble up from his stomach and from the sheer exhaustion of emptying everything he'd ever eaten in his life every hour or so. Naruto watched his father sigh and walk over to the coffeemaker and start the drip.

"That won't be necessary. I know you've been looking forward to this the past two weeks, like you did every other week before that. Plus, you looked more than half asleep and too cute, with your hair all ruffled like that, I can take pity on you. But, only this once!"

Naruto rolled his eyes as his father shook a finger at him, and then, quick as he always did, grabbed him in for a strong hug and a sloppy kiss on the forehead . . . like he was five. Honestly, he'd heard horror stories from his friend Kiba, at school, all about how his sister was nearly old enough to be his mom and how she swore up and down she wouldn't treat her kids the same as their parents did, embarrassing them at every turn. Kiba also told him that she did the exact same things whenever their mom left Hana, Kiba's sister, in charge while she traveled to one of the rural areas on a veterinarian emergency. Kakashi didn't do any of that stuff and Naruto was glad he was going there now. This way, he didn't have to suffer any more weird phrases coming from his father. Taking the toast with him and stuffing the milk back in the fridge, Naruto sped off to his room to change. It was only a ten minute drive to reach Kakashi's place. Konoha, the small city where he and his father lived, was not a big place after all, but Naruto was far too excited at the morning's promise to slow down. There was a grand tradition of artists and writers in his town, though there were a few major businesses from clothing lines to restaurant chains and even a financing conglomerate owned by the Uchiha family, his friend Sasuke the current favorite for taking up the mantle should he decide on business in the future. A smattering of small businesses, including his friend Inuzuka Kiba's family veterinarian practice, rounded out the town's economy nicely.

Kakashi, surprisingly one to live outside the norm, owned a horse farm just outside Konoha's city limits. Well, his father had started it as a racehorse training facility and Kakashi had gone into practice as a psychiatrist until his death ten years before, something that Naruto's father never ceased to tease him about, why, Naruto could not say. He had kept his practice and simply handed most of the management and business decisions over to someone else. Naruto went there every week for a lesson or just to take one of the stable horses out for a hike. He'd already learned a lot about the animals and about respecting their nature. That respect had gravitated to Naruto feeling more in tune with other things nature-based and treating everyone he met with as much of the same level he gave to those beloved creatures whenever he could. Having worked on an old pair of jeans, some tan work boots and an old tee-shirt under a well worn sweater, Naruto raced out to the car, chomping on his toast the whole way.

"Dad, hurry up! We're going to be late and then Marimo might get worried!"

Minato strolled down the drive, yawning widely, and climbed into the driver's seat. He shook his head at the way Naruto jigged his fingers excitedly on the dashboard and danced his feet on the floorboards impatiently. Naruto turned and caught his father's raised brow and stopped moving. He couldn't help it, he was just excited! It had been a whole two weeks, for God's sake! Marimo was probably stamping a hole in his floor at the lack of proper attention. Suddenly, Minato grinned at his son and leaned back from sliding the key into the ignition, delighting in the tiny wiggle it produced.

"Now, I never did ask, because she's your horse, but, why Marimo? It's a type of sea urchin." Minato couldn't help but laugh at the puffed out cheeks and frown that met him when he turned to look at Naruto.

"Okay, okay. Don't get so worked up. I'm sorry for needling you. It's just you're so cute when I do it, and you're my son and I love you."

Naruto didn't answer so Minato tried again. Reaching across the gear shift he rubbed a hand over the light scars on his cheek affectionately.

"I love you," his voice rang out, almost turning the words to song.

"Okay, okay. I love you, too. And, I'm not mad." At Minato again raising an eyebrow, Naruto took a steadying breath and continued, "Well, I _was_ mad, but I'm not now because I know you were only doing what all other parents get to do to their kids because they love them. So, can we go now?" He finished in a rush and grinned when his father turned the key and they started off.

Pulling up after the long, dirt track that served as a drive, Minato stopped the car and got out to follow Naruto into the main stable. Naruto was always just as excited about his weekly ride as ever before. It was charming. Entering the stable, Minato made his way to the office halfway down and knocked placidly before going in. His old friend Kakashi was talking to the stable manager, Hiko-san, so he waited until they were finished before clearing his throat.

Kakashi brightened up when he saw him, smiling evenly.

"I was wondering if you were going to make it this week. It's late isn't it?"

"I had a rough time with this deadline and Naruto had finals to study for. I didn't want anything to interfere with it because he's been struggling with his Japanese kanji lately,"

Kakashi waved a hand at him.

"That's not an excuse. The boy shouldn't suffer for bad penmanship. Besides, I seem to remember a school boy who could never seem to remember every kanji symbol on more than a few words until he went to college," Kakashi scoffed.

Minato laughed good-naturedly and titled his head to gaze at Kakashi before turning to leave.

"I'll be back in a couple of hours. I have to drop off the finished script to the editor or he'll likely hand my job to someone else."

"Aw, poor baby, as if the Award winning magazine writer couldn't work anywhere he chose to. Your editor knows that very well, which is why you only have to show up at the office every now and then instead of every day."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him and leaned comfortably on the desk behind him. It was covered in invoices and paperwork, most of which would mean absolutely nothing to him along with the stable had he continued to run it as his father had. But, the look on Naruto's face, so full of wonder and excitement when he'd first watched the racehorses his father had kept and trained had been worth the time and effort to convert the stable. Now, it was a training and lesson facility for Western pleasure riders and Dressage elements. He had not branched out into Jumping/Hunter class, simply because it was too much work to bring in the posts and jumps necessary to give a full round of the experience to the students. They all seemed to enjoy the trails and the lessons he did offer and he'd even kept a dozen or so old hack horses for people to rent for an hour at a time rather than take the expense of an entire month of lessons.

A shout from down the hall captured their attention and both Minato and Kakashi rushed out, eyes widening.

"Kakashi, what have you done to my horse?"

Naruto was fuming, literally stamping his foot into the ground, his small fists curled up and glued to his sides.

"Nothing at all, why?"

"She's gotten fat! I don't show up for two weeks and you let her gain weight. You know she's a glutton if you let her be. How could you?"

Kakashi looked at the glaring boy, all fury and hurt, in front of him and almost laughed. Really, it wasn't funny to Naruto, but Kakashi couldn't help it. So innocent and so naïve, he hadn't realized that Marimo had been gaining weight steadily for a while now.

"Remember when I told your father he should have her sterilized? That's why." He pointed to the bulge at the mare's sides. The gleaming coat of black tapering into white at the forelocks and a white strip artfully covering the bridge of her nose quivered at the touch of her human friend as Naruto stroked her. He seemed confused, tilting his head one way and then the other before his mouth hung open slightly.

"You let her get knocked up?!"

Kakashi did laugh then. The nature of children and their thinking was just too precious, especially this one.

"I did not _let_ her get knocked up, thank you. She did it all her own."

Now, Naruto looked at his beloved equine friend as if he'd been scandalized.

"Why didn't you say anything Kakashi?" Minato put in.

The other man shrugged. "I'm guessing it occurred around December. That's when she usually gets rowdy with the stallions I keep in the back pasture. We let her and all the other boarder horses out there to graze every morning. You know that, just like you also know that I warned you this might happen. They're not Puritans, you know."

Kakashi stared hard at Minato who scoffed at the comparison but couldn't avoid looking guiltily at the floor. He had heard Kakashi say he'd needed to talk to him last month but had been extremely busy with the latest article and helping prepare Naruto for the exams. But Kakashi hadn't pushed the issue so he'd let it go.

"Sorry, Naruto, he did try to get me to listen, but I really hadn't expected something like this would happen. Besides, _you_ told me all your horses were neutered," he pointed an accusing finger at his friend.

"They are . . . _now_. The vet couldn't make it out the week of the tenth and that's when I let them out all together for an extra dose of fresh air and to chew at the grass still left over from the fall," Kakashi held up a hand when he saw Naruto trying to interrupt, bouncing on his feet to ward off the chill air, "and, yes, I gave her grain and, yes, she'll be fine. Horses have been doing this for centuries. The vet's already seen to her and she should foal sometime in mid November next year. We'll be looking after her as well as we always do, so don't worry. You can ride Raikou today."

"That wasn't what I was going to ask," Naruto mumbled grumpily. Honestly, adults thought they always knew everything just because they'd been kids once. Minato glanced at him when Naruto began to fidget again, looking from side to side, avoiding his eyes.

"Okay, what were you going to ask?"

Naruto peeked up at him out of the corner of his eyes nervously.

"What's a Puritan and what did Kakashi-ojii mean by rowdy?"

Kakashi laughed and clapped a hand on Minato's shoulder as they turned to head back down the hallway.

"I'll let you handle this one, Dad."

A cry of surprise from behind stopped them. Turning, they witnessed Naruto, eyes wide, hair framed in the muted glow of one of the interior lights as he shook his head in disbelief.

"You . . . you're going to let me ride Raikou?"

Kakashi smiled at him while Minato frowned a little.

"That horse is a bit rough around the edges, isn't he, Kakashi?"

"Relax, I've been doing this a while. I also helped my father deal with the worst thoroughbreds in the history of Japanese horseracing, so if I say he can handle Raikou, he can handle Raikou. But, you'll be taking him in the pen only, no trails," he finished sternly.

Naruto nodded and followed to the other side of the barn to Raikou's stall at the front. He had one of the largest ones since he seemed to be irritated by all the others. With the exception of Marimo and a few other mares, very few of the other horses got along with him. Of course, Naruto being only twelve hadn't really grasped the implications of the situation. He also didn't know that it had been Raikou, the newest addition to the stable that had arrived un-neutered and was the only likely candidate for Marimo's current condition.

Reaching up to take down a bridle, Naruto unhooked the latch and drew the door open, forgetting that he'd asked his father a potentially embarrassing question not moments before. Sliding into the stall, dark eyes watched him move forward calmly. The sleek muscles rippling under the horse's skin were always so beautiful. A dark chocolate coat, not a single hair of any other color except a small white star on his forehead and a black mane and tail, made Raikou one of the most enchanting things he'd ever seen, aside from Marimo of course. Clucking his tongue at him, Naruto raised a hand to rub at Raikou's forehead, listening to him rumble in his throat softly. Fastening the bridle was not a challenge as even the tougher horses know when to pull their head's down given a little pressure exerted just between the ears at the top of the head. Finished with the reins, Naruto led the horse to the cross-ties in the middle of the hall and secured the clasps to the metal rings at the sides of the bit before going to grab brushes, blanket and saddle to finish currying him with.

Seeing no need for the curry comb, Naruto gently massaged the dirt from Raikou's coat with a stiff brush until it gleamed even more in the dull light and used a finishing brush to sift any remaining debris out. Grabbing a hoof-pick and brush from the bucket he'd taken from the tack-room, he went to work on the dirt lodged inside the horse's feet before placing the last hoof on the ground. He had been taught very early on never to drop the foot carelessly as it could spook them. Scaring a horse while it was in the crossties, secured to each wall by eyehooks, was never a good thing, for the horse or the groomer. Draping a blanket over Raikou's back, Naruto lifted the saddle on top and lifted the girth off, letting it fall slowly to the other side. Reaching under the stomach, he again took the strip of leather in hand and ran it through the loop that would secure it, tying it off expertly. He hadn't even had to coax the horse to let out a breath. Sometimes they held it in when they felt like going back to sleep or for a run in the pasture instead of taking the boring humans out with them on a trail or into a lesson arena. Naruto laughed softly as Raikou nuzzled his ear and blew on him.

Using his left foot, he swung himself into the Wintec Wide All Purpose Saddle, frowning at the feel. He couldn't wait until he was old enough to work and afford his own tack. Kakashi kept everything serviceable and in good condition despite leaving almost everything to his stable manager, but Naruto really wanted to try out dressage work with quality tack like the Bates Innova or the Passier GG saddle with gusted panels. Clicking softly to Raikou, he walked calmly to the gate of the practice ring and went on through as Kakashi opened it for him. Starting at a walk then moving to a jog for a few minutes, he began to register the feel of Raikou's feet and muscles as he moved. He already could tell that the famed devil of Hatake Stables was more bluster than true fight.

Moving into a smooth trot, extended trot and then a lope, Raikou tested him with a small buck of his hind legs. Naruto pulled the reins in tight and stopped him. Moving him forward again seamlessly, Raikou tried it once more and Naruto tightened the reins a little, bringing him to a full stop again. When Raikou relaxed finally, the movement beneath Naruto's legs felt much smoother. The horse had been aptly named. Lightning could be powerful and dangerous but could not really fight you. An hour and a few dressage movements later, including a flying change at a canter and a couple of figure eights and a lateral trot, Naruto pulled Raikou in for a cool down walk. Reaching down to rub at his neck, Naruto whispered in his ear.

"That was good, you know. You didn't have to show off for them, though. You could really get hurt if you act out like that."

A whistle had Raikou's ears pricking up and Naruto looked over at the gate. His father waved him over and Kakashi smiled lazily up at him.

"That was very well done. You're ready for some more advanced movements, I see."

Naruto grinned easily down at him, still trying to catch his breath. Then, he frowned and got down, looping the reins around his arm loosely, as he'd been taught.

"Will Marimo really be alright?"

As if he could sense that attention was no longer solely on him, Raikou blew out a huge breath and nudged Naruto's shoulder hard.

"Hey! That's no way to behave! Stop that!"

The horse ghosted a breath in his ear playfully and nibbled a little at his hair, trying to apologize. Naruto giggled.

"She'll be fine, Naruto. Now, get out of here. Your father still has to take that article in and you have school," Kakashi told him.

Do I really have to go today?" Naruto whined.

"Of course you do, you have exams. They'll be over today, and we can come back afterward to visit Marimo if you like."

"Okay!" Naruto tugged Raikou into the barn to take the tack off and put him in his stall, the horse nudging at the bulge in his pocket, recognizing the scent of the carrots there, no doubt.

"You could have gone, you know. I wasn't stopping you," Kakashi said easily.

"I know, but it was his first time with Raikou."

"And, you were worried, right?"

"Did you not see him bucking?"

"It was only twice, and he didn't get anywhere with it. Naruto knows what he's doing. Hell, that horse managed to throw me the first time I got up on him. He knew from the beginning he wouldn't be able to do that with your kid. He's a natural at this, despite his lack of coordination while walking," Kakashi joked.

Laughter in his eyes, Minato chose to wait at the door to the barn rather than inside.

"Yeah, well, I'd like him home in one piece, thank you very much, or else I'd have to seriously reconsider bringing him out here to see you."

"You wouldn't dare," Kakashi challenged him confidently.

"Naruto loves his Ojiisan, don't you?" he hummed at Naruto as he shot past him to the car.

"Sure, gotta go, Kakashi! I'll see you after class!"

"I'm hurt!" Kakashi feigned, holding a hand to his chest.

Minato rolled his eyes at him and chuckled as he got into the car for the short ride to take Naruto to school. They'd spent too much time lagging in the stalls. He wouldn't have time to change for class. Minato would explain it to his teachers, though Naruto would probably get a reprimand anyway. They were not lax on the dress code at all at Kinshin. But, it was a good school filled with understanding and empathic staff and the right curriculum for Naruto's love of art and writing. They spent extra time with him on his kanji and his math, two of the subjects he had the most trouble with. The extra guidance boosted his confidence in his other subjects as well, which helped him focus and achieve a very high average despite all his grumbling.

Minato pulled up at the school gates with barely two minutes before the final bell signaling the start of classes.

"Enjoy your exams!" he said brightly ignoring the scathing look Naruto threw him as he got out of the car.

"What, no hug? I'm hurt!" Minato pouted.

Sighing and rolling his eyes, Naruto smiled and walked around to the driver's side and leaned in to peck his father on the cheek.

"Go away now! I'll be late!"

Waving after his son, Minato pulled out into the circular drive back to the main road. Naruto strolled in through the impressive two story doors flanked by fluted columns that stretched at intervals down the entire, imposing length of the school. The building was old, around two hundred years gone and reminiscent of Roman architecture melded with Japanese style fountains and greenery. They complimented each other, though, rather than offsetting the differences. He still couldn't fathom what they had planned when designing it, however. All that wasted space and grand gesture for children who would do just as well in an ordinary school structure. He supposed it was more for the parents, many of which were quite well off if not all out rich. Kinshin's Executive Board did allow entrants from all circumstances to enter if they were able to meet certain criteria, which Minato had told him was one of the major reasons he'd decided on it. None of that had anything to do with Naruto, really, but he had tried hard to listen to the introductory speeches and made it a point to strike up conversations and friendships with everyone he could, regardless of who they knew or where they came from.

Glancing at the Grandfather clock at the far wall of the Entrance Hall, Naruto streaked down marble floors and headed up a grand staircase to his first class of the day, Japanese Poetry. Taking his usual seat near the back he waved enthusiastically at his friend Kiba who was, at the moment, trying to entertain Naruto's closest friend, Sasuke. Kiba, who had thankfully left his dog at home rather than tying him up outside as he usually did, waved and winked roguishly up at him. He'd tried to smuggle his dog, Akamaru, into school on a number of occasions with the end result that he almost always had to take him back home and spend the remainder of his afternoon with whatever teacher had caught him. The last bell rang through the halls and their teacher walked casually through the door and began passing out the exam papers without a word. Sasuke had turned to wave at him and smile warmly before turning back to face the board and Naruto instantly felt better about nearly being late and not wearing the proper uniform of black jacket, grey slacks and red tie with the school crest sewn above the left breast pocket. They had been told to wear a plain, red handkerchief inside the pocket as well, but that part of the uniform had never really been enforced. Sighing, Naruto hunched down in his seat a little as the teacher neared his desk, knowing that showing up in jeans, an old tee-shirt and a ratty sweater was far from the picture of solidarity and refinement that Kinshin Middle School had expressed they present to the world.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the teacher stopped directly in front or his desk, "I've been informed of the reason behind your lack of proper attire; don't let it happen again or there will be swift and harsh penalty for it."

"Yes, sir," Naruto mumbled as he took the exam sheet from him. Glancing up at his two friends out of the corner of his eye, he sent them a wink and a conspiratorial smile. He knew that the teachers and the headmaster were strict but fair, so he would watch himself in the future, but he couldn't see any of them really tightening the belt for such a minor infraction. As long as he didn't have to stay after school today, he'd have been fine with anything. The rest of class passed uneventfully, and Naruto and about half the other students were leaning back in their chairs, waiting for the end bell to ring. Finally, the teacher called for time and they all passed their papers forward, the final tone came over the loudspeaker and Naruto joined his two friends as they headed down toward Color Theory. Sasuke and Naruto were in this class together while Kiba spilt off at an adjoining hallway to make it just in time for his Biology class on the first floor. They would meet up again for English, Japanese and second year Algebra, and later, Sasuke and Naruto would head for Biology while Kiba rounded out his academic day with Animal Husbandry. Physical Education was their last class of the day and they joined the entire second year class at the fields behind the school on warm days. Colder weather saw them all inside the Olympic sized gymnasium for various activities. Naruto practically chafed for the end to the school day, even with his problems concentrating during a normally sedate schedule.

"What's wrong with you today?" Sasuke asked, amused. Naruto looked over at him and Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow and gave him a slight smile.

"Huh? Me? Nothing," Naruto blurted out. Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Come on, did your Dad give you a hard time about us talking on the phone all night when he knew it wasn't about Bio?"

Sasuke liked Minato. His unease whenever he was at Naruto's house had nothing to do with the man as much as the son; or rather his confusion over the aching he felt whenever they were alone. Sasuke had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach every time he thought about it ever since hearing his cousin, whom he lived with, talk about a friend during high school that'd had the same problem. He'd turned out to be gay.

"No! It's Marimo."

"What?" Sasuke looked over at his friend worriedly. They had stopped not far from the classroom and Sasuke reached out a hand to clasp Naruto's shoulder. He knew how attached Naruto could get to things and people. The fact that he refused to look up worried him more.

"Is she okay?"

"Yes, well, maybe. Kakashi says she will be, but then he's the one that got her knocked up in the first place, so . . ."

Sasuke couldn't help it; he gaped, then opened his mouth and laughed full out. Naruto looked at the floor again and mumbled something incomprehensible.

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but you are priceless!"

At the sound of his friend's deepening voice rumbling out those words, Naruto felt funny, very much like he did when he had to take a test he hadn't prepared well enough for. Shaking off the feeling and grinning at him, Naruto raced into the classroom before they were late.

Breathless, both of them took their seats as their Art teacher bustled around the room passing out yet another exam.

Naruto leaned over in his chair, brushing Sasuke on the shoulder and whispered, "So, you want to go with me this evening? I'm going to spend some time with her and maybe you and I can take a ride."

Sasuke smiled warmly at him again and nodded. They both spent the remainder of the day in eager anticipation of the promised outing and both waved at the other happily as their parents came to greet them at the entranceway.

"Long day?" Minato asked as Naruto scooted into the backseat.

"Not really. Is it okay if Sasuke comes with us to Kakashi's? He's going to ask his parents and call me later to let me know what they say. Can he?"

"It's fine with me if it's fine with them but I want to hear them tell me; you know the rule."

"Yes, Dad," Naruto half joked. Rules were such cumbersome things at times, even if his Dad did mean well by enforcing them. Charging up the front steps to their door, Naruto stopped short, confused. There was a woman standing in front of it and Naruto did not recognize her. She smiled warmly at him, and although many of the adults he didn't know that his father did seemed to do that, this time it felt weird, wrong somehow. Naruto shook his head and smiled back. His father had told him to always try and be civil to everyone even when they couldn't return it.

"Hi! You must be here for my Dad! He's coming now!"

Calling over his shoulder, he walked up to the woman and reached out a hand for her to shake, "Dad! There's a strange lady here for you!" turning to her he added, "My name's Naruto, please to meet you!"

The woman opened her mouth to speak, looking desperately sad at the small boy in front of her even through the smile, but closed it when she glimpsed Minato coming up the walk. Minato stopped instantly and gasped, staring at her in surprised and what was perhaps fear. Naruto didn't like it but continued on into the house figuring his father would explain later.

"Sute, what are you doing here?"

The woman recovered her composure enough to smile devilishly at him while she glided down the front stoop at a fluid pace that reminded Minato of eels moving through water. It nearly made him shiver and his heart beat faster, thoughts of his son together in a house with her driving him nearly hysteric enough to send her away right now.

"Why, Minato, aren't you glad to see me? My old friend, it's been too long," she reached up and glided her hand down his arm and pecked him on the cheek once as Minato fought the urge to lash out. Talking with this woman would be difficult, but for Naruto's sake, he would keep it civil and hope her barbed tongue did not get in the way. She'll be gone soon and everything will be back to normal. That's all he could tell himself as they made their way inside.


	3. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** I'm of the seemingly small community that believes rape, when done in a fic, is supposed to be done the right way, or it's vastly offensive. I don't mind reading it, if it's part of the plot, like when there's a change in a character's personality, a sudden fear of touch or to explain trust issues. _They_ make sense. These other horrible fictions, that comprise all but maybe two, turn the victim into some kind of deviant who likes being raped halfway through (that is so much like all those disgusting hentai anime that do the same thing, it's not at all worth reading). Either that or they somehow fall in love with the rapist (mainly when it's a SasuNaru fic), which, let me just say only makes sense if you combine the trauma with Stockholm syndrome. If you don't know what that is, please look it up, it would take too long to explain here. Also, the stuff that should come after: lack of self-esteem and self-worth, depression, possible self-injury/suicidal ideations or the possibility of sex turning into near prostitution because that's how they see it now NEEDS to be researched a little if the author wants to make it credible. Before you chew my head off at having the gall to berate people on this topic, _I know what I'm talking about_. The rape itself in a fic isn't a problem, generally, when done with tact and offering the full picture from start to finish.

Also, I HATE the inclusion of words or terms like seme, uke or lime and lemon when dealing with sex between two men. I'm not ragging on others that use it, just letting you know you will_ never_ see me describe it like that. I pride myself on researching when I cannot imagine something and make it believable or when the situation calls for it, like with medical terms and such, so the sex in my stories is as realistic as possible to real sex, not movie, or yee gods, porn sex, which is in many fictions I've read (the number is in the thousands by now). God, I'm rambling.

**Warning:** Nonconsensual sexual situations and/or RAPE will come up in this story as well as child abuse. Everything is done tactfully, but some readers may not wish to view such trauma. If so, please go no further. For those of you that have continued, welcome, the madhouse reigns supreme, at least until the dark knight with pale skin and piercing eyes comes around to save the poor wretch I will make of Naruto. Can you guess who it is? Shhh, I won't tell if you won't. Heh, heh! But he's not the only one to come to our sweet blonde jester's aide. Some of the characters may be out of context from the manga. The romance will come much farther down the road and be as sweet as honey nectar on a summer wind. Thank you for sticking through my torrential landslide of notes. Fly far and fair well travelers, welcome to my romantic tragedy!

Please, for the love of all things sweet, strawberry flavored anything and the hope of a starving artist (no, not literally starving), please review! And thank you to everyone that did so last time!

**Chapter 2**

Naruto headed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water since he wasn't allowed soda often and took it and the phone to his bedroom to call Sasuke. His father headed into his study with the strange woman and closed the door. Naruto shook his head at the strangeness of adults and started dialing. When Sasuke picked up on the third ring, he smiled.

"Too early?" Naruto asked.

Naruto heard Sasuke snort and he chuckled into the phone.

"It's only too early when I say."

"Whatever, you're such a cheese," Naruto told him.

"Well, maybe I won't come over again."

Naruto sputtered, "Who says I'm calling about that? I could be calling about the history notes you forgot to give me."

They both felt that having World History right before Phys. Ed. was a blessing, though it was still a boring subject. Naruto wouldn't mind, might even like it, if their teacher wasn't such a drone. Sasuke joked that the school was rich enough and had enough geniuses as professors that the others had played a prank on the _real _history teacher by locking him in a closet and replacing him with a robot at the beginning of the year. Naruto had told him if that were _really_ true they would have smelled it by now, the school wasn't big enough to hide a dead body no matter what Kiba said.

"What do you mean forgot? It's not my fault you stayed up painting Marimo instead of studying."

Naruto made a face into the phone and waited.

Sasuke sighed. "Don't do that, I'll bring them by when we go for a ride."

Naruto instantly brightened up. "Yeah! I knew you cared!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the phone as he held it out a little away from his ear. Obito, his cousin and adoptive parent, laughed softly as he reached for the phone. Sasuke put it back to his ear for a moment.

Not really," he quipped, "I just hate that face you make."

Naruto ended up blowing a raspberry at Obito instead of Sasuke when he realized the phone had already changed hands. Obito merely laughed good-naturedly.

Let me talk to Kakashi, please, Naruto."

"Okay! Oh, wait, maybe we should wait until tomorrow," he frowned remembering the stranger.

"Why?" Obito asked curiously, glancing at Sasuke, who shrugged.

"'Cause Dad's visiting with a strange lady, I don't know her name, and he's not in a good mood." Naruto cupped his hand over the phone and added in a whisper, "I think she's creepy. But, don't tell him I said that! He'll think it's rude."

Naruto," Obito replied patiently, "it _is_ a bit rude."

Then he frowned trying to remember if Kakashi had mentioned anything this morning over the phone about someone coming to visit. The fact that he was unhappy about it and Naruto thought she was creepy had set off distant bells in his head. He made a decision just as he heard Naruto begin to sing his name out, tired of waiting for advice.

"Naruto, what does she look like?"

"Um," Naruto scrunched up his eyes and stuck a finger in his mouth, thinking. "She's got long hair, real long, and it's dark. Her eyes are brown and she's got _really_ white skin, like a ghost. There's a couple of freckles on her chin and her eyes are hard, which is why she's creepy," he babbled on.

Obito couldn't distinctly recall anything from a description like that, but there had been a woman from Minato's past that he had termed 'obsessive', so much so that he had needed to change towns to quiet her ranting fascination with him. As far as he knew, Minato had never had that kind of reaction when speaking about or visiting anyone else. This had been about a year before Naruto was born, shortly prior to Minato escaping the woman by going on a world cruise, where he'd met Naruto's mother. Minato had never said anything more, about her or her family, not even her given name. It pained him visibly whenever he mentioned what little Obito and Kakashi had heard before. Obito shrugged, trying to rid himself of the suspicious dread that had come up seemingly out of nowhere ever since Naruto had started talking about this woman. But he didn't know the woman, for all he was certain of she could be a new editor or agent at the magazine.

"Is that so? Go get him, Naruto. But, remember to knock first," he said calmly.

"Okay!"

Obito could hear the cheery edge seep back into Naruto's voice now that someone he trusted had given him reassurance. By the next day, he'd forget all about the woman. Hopefully, everyone else would be able to do the same. Obito just couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Naruto had good instincts when it came to understanding people, even adults. Well, at least where it really mattered. He was only twelve, so there was a lot of the world he had no experience with yet, a thing that Minato both lamented and dreaded daily, he knew. He shook his head to clear it when he heard a small hand rap sharply on wood.

"Dad?" Naruto called out. Minato came to the door and cracked it open just enough to see out of.

"Obito-san is on the phone for you. He says it's okay to interrupt." Minato held his hand out for the phone, frowning slightly and went to the living room, closing the door to his study behind him. Naruto gave him an odd look but Minato waved him away impatiently before turning to answer the call.

Obito smiled on his end at Naruto's antics. The kid wasn't beyond putting someone else in front of the firing squad just in case Minato ever decided to start being one of those irate, temperamental parents. It would never happen, which made Naruto out to be some sort of overly dramatic teen before his time, but Obito also knew that it was really all in fun.

"Hello," Minato's rich baritone came over the phone and Obito grinned wider. Kakashi might be closer to the man's trust, he had no problem with that, however Obito could never seem to keep from feeling better himself whenever Minato was present or his voice, calm and sure, came over the line. The man had always been good at making even the most recalcitrant people around him feel like they could accomplish anything if they did their best to work at it.

"So, who's your new friend?" Obito joked.

"She's not my friend," Minato growled vehemently.

"Okay, okay, geez, I'm sorry! What's up?" Obito balked and hurriedly tried to calm his friend down.

"I need you to take Naruto with you instead of my picking Sasuke up. I don't care if he doesn't make it to the stable today, just as long as he's out of the house," Minato told him, fear leaking into his voice a little despite the control he tried to exercise.

Obito looked at the phone for a moment before replacing it to his ear.

"Uh, sure. Is everything okay with you?"

"I'm fine. I'll be much better once that damn woman is out of my house. And, no, I don't want to talk about it. At least, not yet. If you do head to Kakashi's, just tell him I'll cal him later."

"Yeah, okay. Tell Naruto to be ready in about fifteen minutes and I'll swing by."

Minato sighed heavily in relief, something that was not lost on Obito.

"Thank you, Obito, he'll be ready." Minato hung up and stared at the phone for a minute, lost in thought. He really hoped he could get rid of Sute before she did or said something to upset Naruto. He wanted nothing more than to keep his family safe, and with that grand dame of a manipulative bitch in the house that was not going to be possible.

"Naruto, come out from behind the wall," he called out finally, knowing his son's habits quite well.

Naruto stuck his head around the corner sheepishly to smile at his father.

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Obito will be picking you up instead of my driving you. I've got an unexpected . . . guest to see to. You'll be alright riding with him and Sasuke?"

"Of course!" Naruto scoffed then glanced keenly at his father. "Will you?"

Fof the first time since arriving home to find an awful part of his past staring down at him from his front stoop, Minato smiled.

"I'll be fine. Now, go get ready. They'll be here in fifteen minutes."

Naruto smiled and headed for the front door instead.

"I think I'll just wait outside. I've already got my riding clothes on anyway and I can shower after, seeing as Sasuke and I'll be working up a sweat soon anyhow."

Minato shook his head at his son's reasoning and headed back toward his study, his face pulling gravely down at his eyes before he even turned the handle. He took a deep, calming breath before entering to confront one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

"Kobayashi-san, or has that changed by now? What do you want?" he asked roughly.

Sute blinked at him, surprised before recovering with a smooth, sensual smile and a wink.

"It hasn't changed, though I was married for a while," her expression shifted to sorrow then, pulling down her mouth and lowering her lids, although Minato couldn't se it in her eyes. The trouble with Sute was, no one saw anything in them, ever.

"He died, about a month before my son killed himself. He was sick for a while, but the doctors could never find the real cause. They treated the symptoms as best they could but only a few weeks of that and his body just . . . gave out," she said calmly.

"I'm sorry," he mustered the effort to sound civil as he tried to empathize, but this was Sute and he could only give so much before he risked being pulled into her claws.

Minato supposed she was trying to sound sympathetic, but he'd been around her enough to know she was a grand actress, if nothing else. As he thought, a smile spread its way across her lips and she eyed him coolly.

"But, _your_ son is the picture of health, isn't he Minato? And he looks so much like you! I wonder if he has anything from his mother in him," she mused.

"You leave my son out of this, witch!" Minato growled a warning and had to restrain his hands from cleaving into her throat. Fear restrained him. If he was gone, whether in prison for shredding this despicable woman or should he die, there would be no one left top watch out for Naruto. He trusted his friends, especially Kakashi, but he would keep the world before his son and not his son in the past, where he had had a father once. The front door opened then and he heard Naruto call out a farewell before it closed again and Minato heaved a sigh. He felt much better, knowing his son was safe with Obito and Sasuke.

"I'll make some tea. And just so you know, he is very much like his mother, beautiful and strong inside as well as an avid equestrian. He even has her temper," Minato told her smugly. He watched the color drain from her face suddenly, leaving her looking even more pale, almost sick. Good, it went well with her wizened heart. He smirked as he stalked off to the kitchen and came back later to see her still fuming silently as he laid the tea out for them both.

"You're a very cruel man, Minato. I came here to see you, because I missed you terribly, and this is how you greet me?"

Minato stiffened at the rebuke and snarled at her.

"I have nothing to discuss with you, Sute. What went on between us ended a long time ago. And if hadn't wanted it to end so badly, you shouldn't have tried to be so controlling. And, oh yeah, maybe sleeping with several of my co-workers was a bad idea too, come to think of it," he sneered.

Sute pulled her lips up in a snarl and stalked towards him slowly, finger pointing towards his chest.

"And maybe you should have paid more attention to me. Have you ever thought of that? I wouldn't have had to call you so much or go behind your back if you'd given me what I needed!"

Minato scoffed and turned to pour himself a cup, leaving her to make her own.

"If that's what you want to tell yourself, fine. It no longer has anything to do with me."

Sute raked her fingers through her hair angrily before pouting and gliding to the table. She poured herself a cup of tea and then threw it in Minato's face. Minato cried out and slid back from her when he felt the hot liquid reach his unprotected skin.

"You crazy bitch! What the hell is wrong with you? You come here, tell me your husband who probably only married for money, is dead and now this? Get the hell out of my house! I should never have let you in!"

"But you did! Which means you must still feel something. How dare you not give Naruto a chance at having a real family!" she tried to argue with him again, sinking to a desperate tactic.

"Don't bring him into this! I told you, he has nothing to do with you! And neither do I, not anymore!" Minato yelled in her face.

Sute breathed in deeply and closed her eyes before opening them to glistening pools of dark brown. They had always been intense, if only for the fact that Minato had never been able to read them. He shuddered slightly, feeling some of what he had given her so long ago ache at the sight. He turned away from her to face his desk, trying to steady his breathing. He could not do this again. He could not. She was dangerous and he had Naruto to think about now, not just himself. He heard the napkins he'd brought with him being unfurled and more liquid hitting the side of a cup. She held one out to him over his shoulder and he took it somewhat gratefully, taking a huge sip before setting it on the edge of the desk. She squeezed a hand around his upper arm and he closed his eyes slowly, trying not to get lost in his memories of how it had been for them in the beginning, before she had become so twisted. Or maybe she had always been that way and he'd been too blinded by her beauty and those intense eyes to bother noticing. Reaching down, he gulped down the rest of his tea and shook himself from her, and his thoughts.

"I think it would be best I you left now," he said quietly.

His voice sounded muffled in the hot room and he felt strangely disconnected. His vision of her blurred a little and she seemed to smile. The smile grew as he canted to the right a bit, catching himself on her arm before he fell to the floor. His blood pressure must have risen while they were arguing. The doctor had told him to be wary of too much stress. He'd laughed at his concern, telling him if he didn't want his patient stressed than he had to find a cure for teenaged rebellion and work deadlines. Though, Naruto did not have the same aggressive streak or feel misunderstood or think that he already knew what he needed to about the world, so Minato felt safe in that regard. Safe; it was warm now but not safe. Sute was still here and his pressure was up; he needed to get her out of the house and call his doctor, before Naruto arrived home. His son had no idea that he had a condition. Though high blood pressure didn't run a great risk at being disabling, the stress could be. He'd rather not have worried him, so he'd kept quiet. He'd kept a lot of things quiet, from his son, from Kakashi, whom he respected and trusted, from everyone. Now, he wished he hadn't as he focused in on Sute's face. He couldn't breath and the room had gone shadowy and numb. She smiled at him, her mouth twisted and her eyes hollow and burning with a frighteningly intense delight. He couldn't breath and tried his best to stay awake, to get to the phone not three feet away. Her hand gripping his arm painfully kept him from it and he staggered, hit the edge of the desk with his hip and fell. It should have hurt, but everything had gone numb. She looked down on him with that same smile and for once in his life, since his beloved's death and he was left with a screaming newborn to raise without her, Minato was truly, inescapably afraid.

"He looks so much like you, Minato," she said again, crooning into his hair as she laid him gently down onto the floor.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of him. He is my son after all," she assured him.

"Don't," he'd found his voice at last, "He's not . . . Naruto . . . I love you."

She gazed at him softly, clicking her tongue at him, "I love you too, my sweet one. I'll make sure to love him just as well. So you can rest now."

Minato felt his eyes slide closed and he tried to pry them open again. But, it was too late. Sute hummed softly to him as she stroked his hair, then calmly got up and reached for the phone. She dialed for emergency assistance and said all the right things and all in the right way to get them to hurry to her beloved's house. She knew they wouldn't make in time, but as her mother had always drilled into her, appearances were important.

Sasuke laughed, the sound ringing off the wooden stalls hollowly. It didn't feel menacing though, far from it. He was with Naruto, watching him pull faces at his horse and laughing in the middle of them until he couldn't move his mouth right. It was hilarious. His cousin, Obito, grinned at Naruto and made gestures and caricatures behind his back and Sasuke laughed again. Then he frowned and stuck his tongue out at his cousin. Obito, mortally wounded, clutched at his chest and fell against the stall door heavily. Naruto looked up at them curiously and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"He's being overly dramatic again. I didn't like him teasing you when you didn't know about it."

Naruto looked askance at Obito, eyes wide then turned a devilish grin on Sasuke.

"Oh, so it's okay for him to do it if I can see it?"

"I didn't mean that!" Sasuke replied, indignant, his shoulders rising. "Anyway, if you see it, you'd only lose your temper. Remember the last time that happened? I had to pull two high school kids off you and help another two up from where you'd laid them out! We can't get into another fight. You're Dad, and mine," he glanced at Obito out of the corner of his eye, who smiled tenderly at the title he'd been dubbed by Sasuke a few years ago, even though he didn't use it all the time, "would kill us. Especially Obito, since it would be him we'd be fighting."

"Sorry, Dad," he added when Obito had caught his attention again, but then Sasuke opened his mouth wide in disgust. Obito had been mimicking him! A wet towel hit Obito upside the head and Sasuke giggled a little before catching himself, looking terrified at the sound rather than his reaction. Naruto snickered and smirked at Obito's dazed expression.

"That's what you get for making fun of Sasuke. Don't you know we're best friends? You can't do that and not have me," here he pointed to his chest proudly, "fight back too!"

Obito raised his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, I give! You win. I promise not to do anything to either of you at all today."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Obito and growled low in his throat at the mention of only one day's reprieve. Obito whistled. He could not imagine what would happen if someone actually tried to hurt Naruto. Sasuke might actually go as far as to kill them. The thought should scare him, immensely, if only for the strange and deep connection the boys seemed to have. But Obito wasn't worried. He trusted Sasuke, and Naruto. They had level heads and knew right from wrong. He'd found a saving grace in Minato, and by extension Kakashi, when he'd first met Sasuke. They were distant cousins and Obito had only seen him from pictures; that is, until his parents and brother passed away five years ago. Minato had helped save him from some pretty heavy issues when he'd first taken Sasuke in after that, then had introduced him to Kakashi. Kakashi had been the one to save them both from despair. But it was Naruto who had re-introduced smiles and laughter and happiness. Only a spare few weeks after their deaths, Sasuke had demanded to go back to school. He'd become somewhat difficult and Obito, harried at the toll it was taking on him and his wife Rin, had rushed to agree. Kakashi had warned him it was perhaps too early, and when Sasuke had come home dazed and subdued, Obito had chastised himself roughly for jumping too far, too fast. Sasuke had spoken up at dinner later, stating that he was special and important and that his parents must have thought so or they would never have had him. Then he'd gone on to say that if they had really known about his brother, Itachi's, illness, they would have done for him whatever they could, because they would not have hesitated for Sasuke either. And Sasuke knew that Itachi had been older, so they'd had more time to grow attached to and love him. Rin had burst out laughing only to apologize when Sasuke stared at her with a wounded look in his eyes.

Obito had asked, after having to clear his throat free from bubbling laughter of his own, where exactly a seven year old learned all of this. He wanted to know so he could take lessons. It wasn't every day that a person gained that kind of wisdom.

"From Naruto," Sasuke said pleasantly, swinging his legs back and forth under the table. He went back to eating his dinner as if he hadn't said anything at all remarkable until Rin called to him.

"Sasuke," she asked hesitantly, "do you, by any chance mean Uzumaki Naruto?"

Sasuke had frowned and cocked his head.

"I don't know. I don't know his last name but he said I was special and that he just wanted to be my friend, so I let him. And I felt loads better. He kept smiling and saying things like we would be friends for all time, and he was going to get a horse and I could ride it, but only me, because we were special together. He said I was special," Sasuke finished lightly and Rin smiled at Obito, eyes shining brightly.

"Well," Obito said, having to clear his throat again for the painful lump forming there, "He's a very smart boy, Naruto. You should listen to him."

The friendship had blossomed from there and showed no signs of easing not that anyone involved minded, especially not Sasuke. Obito thanked Minato silently every time he got to see Naruto, with all that bright amusement and laughter. There could never be a greater gift in Obito's opinion, than anything, even a stick figure drawing and a pale of plain water, as long as it came from that boy. Shaking himself out of his reverie, Obito smiled and called them both over. When they'd gotten close enough, and because they were still short enough and still children, he lifted them up one under each arm and carried them outside to the waiting afternoon sun, growling like a bear the whole way. The sight of Kakashi, but even more distressing, the drying tears on his swollen face, and Obito halted instantly.

A giggling Sasuke, who, like Naruto, could not see anything other than the bit of ground beneath and directly in front, struggled a little.

"Obito," he whined good-naturedly, "Either put us down or keep going till we get to Kakashi's office."

A riot of giggles erupted from Naruto as he kicked his feet.

"I'd rather stay up, thanks Sasuke. Your cousin is the only one who can do this and it's fun!"

"Obito," Kakashi said thickly, "put Naruto down please."

The quiet nature to Kakashi's speech usually didn't bother Obito, but today his voice was so laden with despondency that it made his heart race right out of his chest and back again. It hit him like nothing he'd ever felt save once, when he'd had to explain to Sasuke about hi family. Sasuke tumbled to the ground after a little wiggling and Naruto followed a bit clumsily afterward. Obito's hands had gone limp and he looked dazedly down at the boys.

"Sorry," he mumbled and guided Sasuke away from Naruto and Kakashi. He knew that this was going to be hard on a lot of people if it was what he thought, what he dreaded, but Naruto would need Kakashi now more than ever if he was to survive it.

"Naruto, baby, come here," Kakashi called but Naruto backed away, shaking his head mutely, tears already forming in his eyes.

"Where's Dad?" he cried plaintively, breathing growing more erratic as Kakashi waited it out.

"Naruto, I need you to come here. Please," he pleaded.

Naruto started forward and then felt Kakashi's arms engulf him snugly. He had lost sight of him, the tears drowning out the world in a colorful blur.

"Naruto, honey, your father won't be coming to get you," all the while Kakashi spoke, pain wrapped iron bands around his chest and Naruto shook his head vehemently against his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Naruto, but your father passed away a little while ago."

"No!" Naruto wailed and tried his best to fight the hold Kakashi had on him. Kakashi was doing his best to keep that hold, to keep him safe, just as he knew Minato would want of him. Naruto struggled some more before collapsing, exhausted, to sob richly into the fabric of his shirt. Kakashi let his eyes close and sighed against the young boy, sad beyond words. When the tears had faded enough for Kakashi to feel safe pushing Naruto away to look at him, the boy had become drowsy and bleary eyed. His lids were already puffing out and his reddened cheeks were covered in sweat, salt water and mucus.

"I'll take you home, Naruto," he told him quietly while sighing.

Naruto shook his head and opened his mouth, croaking at first then mouthing his jaw to get it to work properly.

"I want to see him," he managed finally.

Kakashi hated that he had to be the one to do anything more to hurt him. He shook his head slowly. Naruto's anger overtook the grief for a moment and his face twisted only to dissolve into quivering chin and lips.

"Why?" he asked. Kakashi didn't know if he was asking why his father had died so suddenly or why he couldn't see him. He opted to answer both, if only to help Naruto gain some peace as early as possible before the rest of the grieving process took hold.

"He had a condition called high blood pressure. It means his heart had trouble keeping the blood flowing at the right speed. The doctors think his heart finally had real trouble, even with the medicine and he had a heart attack. I'm sorry, Naruto. It wouldn't be good for you to see him now. He's no longer here with us. Do you understand? I'm going to take you home now and I promise that, even though it won't seem like it for a long time, you'll be alright." Kakashi hugged Naruto to him tightly once more before picking up the twelve year old body. Short for his age as he was, Naruto was still heavy and Kakashi grunted a little. Naruto leaned his head heavily down on Kakashi's shoulder and sighed out another sob and hiccupped while he was carried to the car. Obito and Sasuke were watching and Sasuke had trails of tears running freely down his cheeks to disappear under his chin. He held Obito's hand and Kakashi remembered the only other time he'd seen him do it. How tragic the world was when two such young, vibrant and innocent friends now had something such as this to bind them closer together? It hit his heart stronger and more sharply than anything he had ever felt before. Namikaze Minato, his friend and the father of the greatest person he could ever know even young as he was now, had died.

Naruto arrived back at the house with Kakashi in hand. He'd not let go of it since Kakashi had grasped it during the car ride, as if he were still small and depending on one of his favorite people to guide him across the street. The door had been left open and there were plastic and paper odds and ends from the paramedics littering the floor. It was everywhere. Naruto hook constantly under Kakashi's fingers and didn't make a sound. He allowed it as it could be Naruto's way of taking in everything he'd been told. Only if it persisted passed a certain point would he begin to intervene. Even children should be allowed to go through the stages of grief uninterrupted unless it was necessary, so it was that he had been trained. He would watch Naruto, because, for Minato, that was all he could do, now. They headed down the hallway toward Naruto's room and Kakashi was pulled to a stop in front of the master bedroom. Naruto stared blankly at the door and reached a trembling hand to graze the wood above the knob with his fingertips. His shoulders quivered more violently and Kakashi reached down to force Naruto around to his own room. It was far too early for it to be even close to going through his departed friends' things. If need be, Obito and he would take care of everything, the funeral, the cleaning out, everything. He nudged Naruto until they had entered his room and Kakashi was surprised to find it had changed since the last time he'd been in the house. The walls were a deep green now, dark pine trees had been painted onto the walls and a clear indigo sky was in the process of covering up some of the fields, a little twinkling star winking on here and there along the landscape. A waxing moon, nearly half full, brushed the sky near the ceiling and Kakashi stood transfixed.

"Naruto, did you . . . did you do this?" he asked in awe, forgetting for a moment why they were there.

Naruto smiled a little, eyes watery and lips fighting it strongly. His face crumpled a bit before he regained control, at least as much as he could at this point. Kakashi knelt down and kneaded his fingers into Naruto's arms and shoulders for a moment.

"It's beautiful Naruto. I'm sure your father thought so too. He loves you, you know. He _still_ does, even though he's gone. I know it. You were the best thing he had ever done with his life. He told me so himself. And you know I don't lie," Kakashi said gently.

He got up to peruse through the drawers and closet as Naruto bent his head down and shook where he stood. Kakashi gathered up enough clothes for Naruto to spend the week at house without having to come back. He took a suit of clothes from the closet and the dress shoes he probably had never worn form the box he found on the shelf and he packed them all away in Naruto's red sports bag. The dark wood of the furniture had accented the mural on the wall well without leaving the room over-powering and he hoped Naruto would be able to continue it, to love it, as much as he had always loved his father _and_ this house. He prayed silently that this time would pass quickly and he had a chance to step away from the immense feelings that were surely running through his head enough to come to terms with how his life had turned and twisted recently.

"Come, Naruto. Unless there's something you really want to take with you? Just for now. We'll come back again sometime, don't worry."

Kakashi left the statement as ambiguous he could, since he had no idea whether Minato had been able to purchase the house fully, or whether there were old debts needing to be paid, whether it was to be held in trust until Naruto reached adulthood . . . Kakashi shook his head. He was marginalizing and escaping and he knew it. They all would grieve first, hold a wake and a funeral, then he would see about applying for full custody of Naruto. He was already Naruto's Godfather, but that only meant legal guardianship which could pose a problem should Naruto's mother come back into the picture someday. He didn't want that to happen, not that he would keep him from her should he want to see her, but . . . Again he shook his head slowly and tapped Naruto on the shoulder. The boy jumped slightly at the touch and gazed at Kakashi with glazed eyes. Kakashi worried about that. Shock was not uncommon, even when a person was otherwise uninjured. It was not just a cliché for someone to die of a broken heart or from the shock of witnessing or hearing about a loved ones' death, even without a medical condition. Kakashi sniffed at the ridiculousness of his own thinking, Naruto was not as fragile as that, just sad right now, deeply and achingly sad. His thoughts and Naruto's face pulled at his chest and Kakashi bent down to murmur in his ear.

"Naruto," and he felt him startle a bit and gasp lightly. "Naruto, do you want to take anything with you? Answer me, please, Naruto." Kakashi wanted to get him to focus on his voice, to answer something simple so that he could be sure he would not have to watch him all night. Watch over him, certainly, but a constant watch was too close to what happened inside hospitals, with mental health professionals turned wardens and Kakashi would not be able to bare that.

"My art, the books," Naruto choked a little, and then managed a bit more strongly, "and the paints. I'd like to paint. If I can, at your house, it always helps . . . ," he faltered a little. Then he took a deep breath. Kakashi urged him to do it again. "It always helps when I'm sad, or angry, or . . ."

Okay," Kakashi said neutrally. "It's fine if you want to paint at my house. Where are they?"

Naruto crossed the room on quaking knees, jerkily drawing open a small cupboard next to his night stand. Inside was a beautifully carved wooden box and Naruto took it out and held it close as he walked back to Kakashi. Kakashi nodded and took Naruto's hand in his again, just for this once, and lead him out the door, careful to close and lock it this time. He'd been given a key long ago by Minato, in case he needed, his friend had said He' never needed it, but it had been nice to have. He hoped he might still be able to use it. He had always felt pleasant, relaxed, more so than in any other place, at his friend's home, with his friend's son playing jovially in a corner and a fire and Minato's good-natured conversation. Sometimes they drank together, or sat and talked of many things. But always it was pleasant, and Kakashi would miss it. He allowed a few tears to escape as he walked Naruto to the car. God, how he missed his friend.

The funeral had been sedate and morose. Somber people in dark suits and fashionable dresses with quiet words they probably would never use that way again, and many Naruto had not known existed to his father, had come to pay their respects. They all patted his head as if he were five or told him how sorry they were. And really, Naruto hated it. He wanted to tell them that he wasn't sorry. He was mad and upset and he wanted them all to leave so he could say goodbye to his Dad on his own. But he knew if he said those things his father would be upset with him. Hearing his father's words inside his head, all the things he had taught him, was the only thing that saved Naruto from these people. That, and Sasuke's presence, unobtrusive and comforting, always just out of reach but near enough in case he was wanted. Naruto was so very grateful for it. Kakashi and Obito could stay as well. They had known Naruto's father better than any of them, even the ones who claimed to have been _good friends_ or _trusted companions_. Naruto wanted to scoff at them when he heard that. Instead he went to go find Kakashi and lean on him. It helped, a little. Sasuke wandering in to sit by his other side helped even more. Neither of them said anything, except Obito, who winked at him from the corner of the room and came over to stand near enough to be heard without having to do more than murmur.

"It's almost over Naruto, and then we can kick them all out."

Naruto smiled thinly, and then, almost genuinely at him. Thank God for his Obito-niisan, as he sometimes called him, with Sasuke's permission of course. Sasuke had smiled and hugged him with one arm when Naruto had asked. Then Obito had nearly cried, then he had fake-cried, and _then_ he had run them all home to tell Rin. Sometimes Naruto worried about him, he was a little funny like that, but not today. When the last of the guests had murmured a final apology and all that was left was Minato's real family, they began to clean up. Naruto felt the ache of the day, and the last few days, in his entire body. He asked Kakashi if he could go for a nap. Kakashi hesitated and then nodded.

"But only a quick one, okay? I'm making dinner soon." Naruto nodded in turn and headed off to his room. Obito glanced up at him worriedly.

"Are you sure that's wise, Kakashi? That's the third one he's had this week. It's becoming a habit."

Kakashi held hand up to stop him.

"I know what I'm doing, Obito. It won't become an issue. I'll wake him in a little bit. He won't really know that it's only been a short time until he's up and, with time, he won't bother with it. He'll come to me, or Sasuke or you, then."

Obito relaxed then, because it made sense. Looking around when there was no rustling of paper, since Kakashi and he had stopped moving, he watched Sasuke saunter off after Naruto. They both shook their heads, and yet let tiny smiles free. If anyone needed anyone more, it was Naruto needing Sasuke, just as Sasuke had unconsciously called out to Naruto several years ago. A knock at the door brought them both around and Kakashi gazed at it curiously. Obito frowned at him.

"Expecting anyone else for the wake, Kakashi?"

"No, and the funeral was earlier so whoever it is, it's too late now. I'm tired and they can come back another day," he said wearily.

Opening the door, Kakashi was faced with someone official looking and his confusion turned to alarm as he spotted a serene, stately woman standing behind him, a somber expression in place though it never reached her eyes. A sinking in the pit of his stomach, and nausea threatened to claim what little he had forced down that morning. He knew this person was not to be trusted, with anything. He also knew that the official looking person was not here for him, and that terrified him beyond measure.

"Hatake Kakashi?" the official stated clearly.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to take custody of Uzumaki Naruto, on behalf of his biological mother, Kobayashi Sute, formerly Uzumaki Sute."

He gestured to the woman behind him, and for the second time in only a week, Kakashi felt the ground crumble and hell opened a searing maw to rip his heart out from his toes.

AN:: Remember what I said about needing to keep her name in mind? That goes with her last name as well, not to mention how each was first presented. Her first name, Sute, means forsaken foundling. And _that_, ladies and gentlemen, was the birth of a very, very . . . well I'll let you picture it.


	4. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** I realized too late that the last line in the last chapter won't work the way it was written. But so you don't have to go back, I've re-posted it at the beginning of this chapter as well. Sorry about that! I also hope that, though this may seem like a clichéd Naruto-gets-abused-by-someone-so-Sasuke-must save-him story, there is actually a lot more to it. I plan on using the coming darkness to highlight sexuality and confusion and a coming of age story unlike any I've seen yet. I also may convert this, by changing the character names and the setting, into an actual saleable novel. So, constructive feedback, and I do mean constructive as I've no use for being insulted, is more than welcome. Also, I used a different last name than Sannin for Jiraiya as I have grown tired of seeing it in other stories. I wish Kishimoto had actually given him one so that it would be easier to deal with, but it is what it is.

**Warning:** Dark subject matter and child abuse/sexual abuse ahead. Normally I would have liked for the warning not to be here as it may turn off readers who would really enjoy the later body of work detailing Naruto and Sasuke's relationship and all the rest, but I don't want to offend anyone by not giving them a chance to pull back if this would be too much for them to handle. Plus, this isn't a novel . . . yet, so I can't very well post a chapter like this and not give warning.

**EDIT**

"Hatake Kakashi?" the official stated clearly.

"Yes?"

"I'm here to take custody of Uzumaki Naruto, on behalf of his biological mother, Uzumaki Sute."

He gestured to the woman behind him, and for the second time in only a week, Kakashi felt the ground crumble and hell opened a searing maw to rip his heart out from his toes.

**Chapter 3**

Naruto lay as still as possible on his bed. He fought the nausea that had been building ever since the funeral had started that morning. He couldn't bring himself to lift his aching body off the sheets. He hadn't even gained the strength to open his father's bedroom door, though he had wanted a chance to connect with him again, to feel him, even if it was only through the things he'd left behind. Voices filtered through the thin walls of his house. Naruto could make out Kakashi and he sounded beyond angry. Something softer made its way past the plaster and he recognized it as the voice of the woman who'd visited his father the day he had died. A wrenching pain gripped his chest and he whimpered a little, catching his fingers in the cloth of his shirt as he tried to breathe through it. The voices grew louder and Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears, futilely trying to stifle them. Kakashi would make her go away soon. He just wanted to sleep. He was so tired. The sounds drifted off as he felt his body go numb and the tension of the past week slipped away. Naruto sighed as he fell into a restless sleep, a few hot tears escaping his closed lids.

"No. Let me repeat, hell no, are you taking that boy anywhere. _I_ am his guardian now. _She_," Kakashi pointed aggressively at Sute, "is not real. Minato as good as said that she died long before bringing Naruto to see me when he was only three months old. He never spoke of her except once, when Naruto asked about her. He was seven at the time. When I questioned Minato later all he told me was that she was gone and not coming back . . . ever. The only way he would have kept such a thing from his son, or myself, was if she was dead. And _you_ do not look dead. I highly doubt this is some kind of manifestation of the second coming, so feel free to leave now."

Kakashi slammed the door in their faces and turned to huff angrily at the hallway where he found both Obito and Sasuke staring at him with their mouths hanging toward the floor.

"What?!" he bit out, still seething. He would like nothing better than to scream out his frustration. The added tension of the funeral and all that had come with it only made the feeling worse. But, he could not risk driving Naruto further into guilt and depression. He already exhibited too many indicators for Kakashi's liking. Had it not been for that, Kakashi would likely have done the same, if he was being honest. He breathed in and out deeply a few times.

"I'm sorry. But that could not have been his mother. That sweet, fake smile of sympathy was more than enough proof. She may have been able to con him into sleeping with her a few times, but there is no way that _that_ woman is what she says."

Obito shook his head a little, dazed.

"Kakashi," he began incredulously, "You don't know any of that for sure."

"I just told you . . ."

"I know what you said. I heard it just fine," he interrupted while holding up a hand for silence.

"Though I have to admit, coming here on the day of his funeral, and with a lawyer in tow, was a bit callous."

Kakashi glared at him and he shook his head again, smiling sadly. Obito sighed. There was a time, before their worlds had all imploded at the death of one of their most trusted and compassionate friends, when a disagreement between them would have incited a joke or at least some good-natured ribbing. How so many things could change in one day, and continue to spiral out of control over the space of only one week, he could not understand. A knock at the door drew their attention away from each other. Sasuke closed his mouth and swallowed hard. They had seemed to forget he was in the room and he wondered if he should go see how Naruto was doing. Maybe he should wake him? He didn't trust that woman either. Kakashi was very shrewd and sharp. If Kakashi believed her to be a threat to his friend, than he would listen. Something had felt off about her smile too, now that he had heard Kakashi say something about it. Sasuke watched as he gritted his teeth and wrenched the door open to stare at the very same woman and her lawyer.

"Hatake-san, if you would just . . ." the lawyer, all slick in his stuffy three-pieced suit and designer shoes, started.

"No! And I mean no!" Kakashi yelled. Then he pulled back as if they had flung mud at him. He looked back at Obito and sighed.

"Come back when she's taken a DNA test. I'll even give you Naruto's toothbrush. Until she does, no, he is not going with you."

"Hatake-san," the lawyer tried again, feigning a calm Sasuke was sure he must have learned from some criminal he had defended. "I'm afraid I have a court order to take him into my client's custody. If you'd like to have a DNA test ordered, I'll give you Judge Morino's card. You can call and make an appeal for custody with the proper paperwork. His secretary will be able to supply you with a court date to voice your petition," he finished crisply.

He held out a sheet of paper backed in blue for Kakashi to take. Neither Obito nor Sasuke missed the reaction coming from Sute. They glanced at each other, worry an unknowing twin in their eyes, as she pursed her lips and glared voraciously at first her lawyer and then at Kakashi.

"And you are?" Kakashi asked through clenched teeth, his knuckles white against the pale blue of the thicker backing attached to the written order for custody.

"My name is Yakushi Kabuto, sir. I know this is an unpleasant experience, especially at such a . . . sensitive, time. But I am willing to do the right thing for the boy, though I've yet to meet him. This was all a bit . . . unorthodox, in that usually the judge must meet with the child in question. The question of maternity, however, was never brought up as she has a copy of his birth certificate and their names and ages match up. I will, however, offer what I can to insure a smooth transition for Naruto-kun, wherever that may place him." The silver-haired man with glasses smiled at Kakashi, but it was a lawyer's smile. He truly believed his client was who she claimed and Kakashi had to wonder if the whole world had gone mad while he'd been sequestered with his mentor's legal affairs, his financial matters, and his son. Kakashi shuddered as grueling fear waged war with the waning strength that had carried him through burying Minato and speaking with his lawyer. Kakashi knew he would be on the phone with Tsukino Jiraiya-sama before the day was cold.

"Alright," he said softly and the lawyer's smile grew wider, more genuine and just this side of feral. Kakashi made his way down the hall amidst a heavy silence. Sasuke felt cold iron bend around his ribs and he couldn't breathe. Naruto was leaving him? He was leaving his home? What was going on? He looked to Obito, and then up at Kakashi, pleading silently that someone explain it to him.

"Just . . . just let me talk to him, alright? Give me that much. And," he continued quietly, turning back to face Kabuto and Sute with narrowed, angry eyes, "I'll find out what is really going on. So, if this is some kind of scam for money, or whatever else you're planning, it won't work. I'll have him back soon. You're only taking him from me temporarily." His voice was soft but the implications, and the veiled threat, were hard as diamonds, unbreakable.

"Can I, uh . . . ?" Sasuke spoke up from his place near the hall leading to Naruto's room but stopped suddenly. He felt the cold bands tightening and his breath was harsh, even to his own ears.

"Come with me, Sasuke," Kakashi said gently, squeezing Obito's shoulder as he walked past. Sasuke missed the look that had ripped the air full of tattered words and unsaid feelings between them. They were friends, had always been friends since their days at Kinshin where Naruto now attended, but they had never been very good at relating anything like feelings towards each other.

Kakashi and Sasuke entered Naruto's room alone. Sasuke thought Obito might have wanted to join them if this was to be the last time they would all be near one another for a while. Kakashi, meanwhile, knew very well that his friend was guarding the rest of the house from Sute and her . . . lawyer. Maybe he was only allowing this horrid situation to color his reactions, something that would ordinarily have disgusted him had he seen it in anyone else. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered right now except the sleeping boy on bed. How he hated to have to wake him, especially for this.

"Naruto," he murmured softly as he leaned down to shake the child's shoulder. Naruto shifted and blinked hazily up at him and then began to pull himself up from the bed. He rubbed at his eyes and winced at the pain he found when he blinked.

"Is it time for dinner now?" he asked disinterestedly, frowning. It felt like he'd only slept for a few moments even with the sun angling through his window at the same place it had been when he'd fallen asleep. He felt disoriented and not at all like the body he hefted to the ground was actually his.

"No, honey. I'm sorry to wake you. More than that, I'm sorry to have to be the one to explain everything," Kakashi admitted.

Naruto frowned. Sasuke had been holding his breath. All he wanted was to crawl beneath the covers with him and sleep until his friend could smile again, the way he used to. He hadn't seen that from Naruto in over a week and though he knew why, and it was as good a reason as anyone could have, he hated it. He hated that Minato had died and left them all like this. Sasuke decided that, Naruto's mother's reappearance be damned, he was going to do exactly what he wanted, even if it only comforted himself. He crawled onto the bed and sat beside Naruto, leaning into his shoulder and circling an arm around his back lightly. Naruto brushed his hand away and stood up.

"There are some people here to see you, Naruto. One of them claims to be your mother," Kakashi explained bluntly. How else was he supposed to say it? Naruto gasped and whimpered a little before turning to stare at Kakashi.

"What?"

Kakashi sighed and tried again.

"Your mother is here. She wants to take you back with her." At that moment he realized he had no idea where the woman lived, whether or not she intended to take him out of Konoha, or flee the country even.

"What?" Naruto asked again, volume rising to an almost hysterical level. Kakashi watched him grasp at what little he could understand and let everything else fall at his feet, crumbling around the edges and curling in like smoldering paper. Naruto shook his head and bent it forward until Kakashi could no longer see his eyes. The trembling in his shoulders that had begun almost immediately after Kakashi had started speaking, eased. Naruto moved forward and out of the room without a word.

"Naruto?" Sasuke called out and he stopped moving but didn't turn back.

"I need to use the bathroom. I'll pick up my things after," he replied numbly. He left swiftly and Kakashi caught his breath and resisted the urge to follow. There would be time to say everything he wanted. He would make certain of that. Minato's death had reinforced his own mortality for him and he would not die with a single regret. Naruto was still his, now, and that woman would need to understand that, whatever the outcome of this charade of hers. The lack of any real reaction from Naruto, the fact that he had not asked any questions but had simply accepted what was happening, worried him. When Sasuke tuned to meet his gaze, Kakashi could see the same worry, though perhaps for another reason.

"I don't want him to go," Sasuke pleaded with him softly. Kakashi cursed Minato again silently before responding. He didn't care how it looked, he hated the man now. How dare he die and make such a mess for his son and his friends to deal with? What were they supposed to do with it all? _Huh, Minato? What am I supposed to do now, without you here to bully me into seeing everything in the world as an adventure . . . for him, and for me?_ The days, only weeks ago, when his godson had chirped and laughed like any child his age, only lighter and grander, as if he had all the innocence of a child and yet all the understanding of most adults, oh how far away they felt. Would there ever be something even close to connect them all? He hoped so. _No matter the anxiety and the clawing doubt, we will not end up like all those faceless victims of loss_, he muttered to his late friend inside his head. _You'll see . . . right?_ Naruto came into the room, shuffling his feet as if he had skipped ahead a few decades. He mechanically began to open drawers and stuff random articles of clothing into a large duffel bag. Kakashi watched for a while and then ambled over to take the handles from him gently.

"Naruto, why don't you see about taking something with you? A picture of you and your father maybe?" He leaned in to brush his lips on top of his head and clasp his shoulder tightly.

"I'll take care of this, don't worry. And no need to thank me either. It's only going to be until I can get you back. That is, unless she is who she says and you find yourself liking it better with her than riding the circuits all the day with me," he quipped. While half of what he'd promised was meant as a jest, he had every intention of fighting. He'd never liked dogs, certainly not enough to become one; an obedient and down-at-heel lifestyle, taking only what the master bequeathed. No, that was not for him. Naruto nodded and headed off toward the door looking lost. Sasuke hesitated only a moment but went with him at a nod from Kakashi. They headed toward the great room at first, the sound of muffled voices traveling through the halls like disembodied echoes, prisoners in the walls. Suddenly, Naruto pulled up and reversed direction swiftly. Confused, Sasuke followed, wondering if he should call out after him. But then he saw where Naruto was headed and simply followed. Minato's room had become a taboo. No one had entered it, as far as Sasuke could tell, since his death. He whispered, because it felt wrong to do anything else.

"Naruto, what are you doing?"

Naruto didn't say anything, just stared at the unmade bed, covers all twisted up and rumpled. The blinds had been slit open just enough to allow light to filter through for the few plants that adorned the sills. It created a cool, almost calming affect for the air around them. Still, Sasuke felt uneasy about stepping inside so casually. Naruto, still moving in that detached haze he'd adopted, reached the bed and fingered the sheets lightly. His hand was shaking a little so maybe that was a sign that he was ready to let something out. Sasuke held his breath and waited. But it was silent, so still, and his heart began to thump painfully in his chest letting him know he needed the air again. Naruto moved off again and Sasuke reached out to hold his wrist firmly and turn him around so they could face each other. Or rather, so that Sasuke could stare at the top of Naruto's head. He would not look up and Sasuke did not have the heart to make him.

"You don't have to do this now. We can come back again," as if realizing how that might sound, Sasuke hurried to correct himself.

"You can come back later, Naruto. You're only going to see what she's like. I'm sure if it's really awful, you can come right back. Or go stay with Kakashi. Hell, I'll throw a fit until my parents let you come stay with us, if you want."

Secretly, in the part of Sasuke that still refused to acknowledge the feelings he thought might mean something larger had started between them, he hoped Naruto would throw a fit of his own, until Sasuke could lead him away. Instead, Naruto struggled against him weakly. When he had no choice but to lift his head because that suspicious desire of Sasuke's wouldn't allow him to just give in and let go of him, Sasuke gasped. His eyes, pain beyond pain, had created a shine, a dull shine that was almost . . . His face had reddened. Sasuke felt his chest tighten again and everything in it hardening a little which only brought more pain.

"I'm sorry," he mewled, not even sure what it was that he was trying to apologize for. Did that really make anyone feel any better at a time like this?

"I'm sorry . . . Naruto . . . Gods, can you please just stop?" Sasuke gasped out. His throat had started to choke him, to close up; it hurt. It hurt and he gasped again. Naruto backed away and headed toward the bathroom again. Not knowing what else to do Sasuke decided to find his cousin, a man he considered a father, the only parent he could remember. When he had finally managed to drag his shaking legs into the living room and shelter himself in Obito's strong arms, he felt a little better. Maybe not enough to cling to him any less desperately but it did feel less painful, less confusing and Sasuke was able to think of better things than what he'd seen in Naruto's eyes. Obito rubbed at his shoulders a bit before pushing him back to search his face. He smiled, even though it was a faded copy of what Sasuke had grown up with. He kept smiling and Sasuke felt even stronger.

Naruto stared at himself in the mirror for so long his eyes had begun to water. That sounded better to him than letting the pain inside his chest win out. He turned his head to glance at every inch of his father's room, from the walls surrounding him to the bedroom he now had a full view of from where he stood. Nothing seemed familiar and yet it was all the same as when he'd last been in it. That morning . . . that morning he'd only had time to sneak a glance at it all, eyeing the wall he'd convinced his father to let him start a mural on when he'd finished the one in his own room. There hadn't been any lights on inside. His father had been in his study, working on that article for the magazine. Naruto couldn't even remember if he'd said anything meaningful. Had he told his father he loved him? Had he just known it? Had they argued at all that day? Naruto couldn't remember.

Unable to keep his wriggling thoughts held down, Naruto began opening drawers. He had no real purpose; it was just something to do, looking through his dead father's things. The thought smashed into him, then. The world careened out of focus. It tilted and swayed and Naruto grabbed onto the edge of the sink to keep from being swallowed up in the melee. His father was dead. His father was dead. His father was . . . The world came crashing back when he felt Kakashi wrapping his arms around him from behind. He heard something like a shushing murmur, so low it was almost gone. He knew he should wonder about it, but the numbing affect he'd unconsciously encased himself in had cracked. God, it hurt so much, too much; it wouldn't stop. The sobs started slowly and then built. They built; they built and Naruto screamed while that shushing, sighing, murmuring continued in his ear. Kakashi's arms tightened almost painfully and the voice he knew was making all those sounds broke a little before the litany resumed, like a brook that had to take a momentary detour over an especially large stone, a delay only.

Kakashi waved Obito and the lawyer away when they appeared at the door, concern and fear sparking in the eyes of his friend. He had no idea where Sute had gone and didn't care. Not one thought would be spared on her if he could help it. He turned Naruto gently so that he could hold his head against his chest and sighed. The trembling and quiet crying he'd slipped into after screaming loud enough to scare him halfway to the river's edge, the dead calling softly over his shoulder, had subsided. Kakashi rocked him, feeling Naruto's tears soak into his shirt sleeve slowly. Naruto had curled his fingers around Kakashi's arm loosely and he wished his friend could see it. It reminded him of when Naruto had turned four and sat in Kakashi's lap in much the same way. That day had been cold and the boy was only looking for a warm body to snuggle against. That was what he'd told Minato offhandedly later. Secretly he'd been pleased, almost smug, that Naruto had gone to him just that once for comfort. It wasn't that he relished the reason for this second turn, but the feeling was indescribable, that a child should look at you as someone they trust enough to hold them free of danger.

Naruto sighed and pushed away from Kakashi lightly.

"I'm fine. It's okay, Kakashi," he mumbled with his head down and hands still shaking slightly.

"Naruto, you don't have to worry so much. It's not your job to be strong right now. You should allow yourself to feel things. Your father loved you, very much. And I know you felt the same. It's alright if you want to . . .," Kakashi started.

"I said I'm fine, Kakashi," Naruto said again more forcefully. Kakashi pulled back a little to try to catch his eyes. Naruto took another deep breath.

"I guess I should go see my mother, huh?" he asked.

Kakashi, while he heard the calm Naruto was desperately trying to radiate, saw the betrayal. Naruto's hands clutched around his shirt for a moment and his breath hitched a little. He was sure that if he held the boy closer he would hear his heart pounding.

"If that's what you want, Naruto."

"Yeah, I'll meet her. She's my mother, after all."

It sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that, maybe more, but Kakashi let it slide. What else could he do right now?

He followed Naruto out into the living room and nodded to the lawyer curtly. He handed the bag full of Naruto's clothes and a few of his painting supplies over to the woman and glared at her until she looked away, embarrassed.

"Is . . ." She cleared her throat and tried again. "Is everything alright . . . Naruto?"

She smiled at him and Naruto glanced up at her only to freeze in place.

"It's you," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to speak before your father passed. He wanted you to know about me, but wasn't sure how to broach the subject. I'm very sorry he isn't here for you anymore." Her words and tone were sympathetic but both Obito and Kakashi saw something else. They shared a glance and could tell what the other was thinking. This woman was trouble.

"You're the woman from before. The one that last saw Minato," Obito said. It wasn't a question, though she acted as though it had been.

"Yes," she said smiling at Obito now. "He and I parted on less than . . . amicable, terms. But I'm here for Naruto now. I'm his mother, after all."

Kakashi grunted, unconvinced. Naruto tilted his head to the side and grimaced. Sasuke caught it and searched Naruto's face. His eyes still held too many shadows and too much pain for Sasuke to want him to leave just yet. He felt helpless. He wasn't an adult yet and so he didn't think any of the others in the room would take his opinion as anything of much worth. All he could do was stand and watch.

"So, it's true then? You really are . . .," Naruto stopped. His mouth had gone dry and the muscles in his face felt raw and sore. He was tired of crying and felt drained to the very core. He took in a few deep breaths to steady himself.

"You really are my mother," he finished.

"Yes, honey. I've waited for so long to meet you. I'm sorry I couldn't be a part of your life until now. My family was not at all pleased to find me with child, and out of wedlock. I was sent away, to school. But I'm here now."

She opened her arms up to embrace him but Naruto hesitated. When he did move forward, Kakashi cringed. Gone was the bubbly, trusting child he'd helped to raise. How long would he have to wait until he came back? The hug was quick and forced, at least on Naruto's part. Naruto, himself, felt lonely and not at all sure he wanted to know this woman. Why hadn't his father said anything about her? Why did it look like he'd lost more than just a lover instead of this kind of woman whenever he thought about her? Naruto knew he did, often. He could see the pain drift into his eyes on occasion, as though he'd lost a part of himself. He couldn't imagine this woman as the one he so desperately wanted to see again. He felt the now familiar pain radiate a dull ache through his chest and hunched his shoulders, fighting it off.

Sute curled her fingers to brush through his hair fondly and smiled again.

"How would you like to come and stay with me, Naruto? You'll be able to escape this place. I'm sure it feels a little too painful right now, to stay here," she said sweetly. Again, Kakashi snorted and the lawyer threw him a snide look.

"I guess that's okay," Naruto murmured, trying his best to be polite as his father had always told him.

He hadn't liked how she'd talked about his father's home. No, it was no longer that. Now it only belonged to him. He hiccupped a little at the thought. He turned to clutch at Sasuke's arms and gave him a firm hug.

"I'll see you at school, I guess," he whispered.

Sasuke hugged back tighter than he probably should have.

"You bet. I'll see you later. Take care of yourself, alright?" He added the last part, even though he knew how it sounded, like they might never see each other again. As much as he wanted to fight these strange, disturbing newcomers in Naruto's life, he didn't have the slightest idea how at the moment. He would talk to his father and Rin, Obito's wife and the person Sasuke also called mother, about it later. He drew away to find comfort in his cousin's arms, grateful that they were always there. Cousins or not, Obito was more than old enough, in Sasuke's opinion, to have most of the answers, if not all of them. Naruto went to lean into Kakashi's side and felt his hands running through his hair softly. He sighed.

"Remember what I said Naruto. I love you," Kakashi crooned, grasping at his shoulders to brush the hair away from his eyes.

"Okay," Naruto grabbed his bag from Sute's hand, resolute to carry it on his own and made his way through the open door. "Bye," he called tonelessly over his shoulder as they all waved at him.

Sute's car, a black sedan that looked expensive, sat in the driveway, engine already humming. The lawyer had apparently brought his own car and parked behind her. He shook her hand and smiled at Naruto in a manner that brought on the image of a weasel before driving off. Naruto got into the passenger seat and could feel heat from some kind of vents in the leather warming it. He relaxed a little into the warmth and closed his eyes. Somewhere between driving away from his house and arriving at Sute's . . . his mother's, he had fallen asleep. He awoke to her shaking him lightly on the shoulder and calling his name. He yawned tiredly, blinked a few times and sat up. The home in front of the car looked unreal. It was large by Japan's standards, two-storied and with enough square-footage to house a family of five. He gaped.

"Nice, huh?" Sute caroled from outside. Naruto rushed to gather himself and his bag so he could join her.

"Yeah," he breathed, unable to think of anything better to say.

"It's incredible," he managed finally, trying on a small smile.

It seemed to make her happy as Naruto watched her face light up in a beaming grin of her own. It didn't remind him of anything. Shouldn't children resemble their parents, even a little? Her eyes hadn't softened since he'd last caught a look at her, when his father had let her into the house. He felt a twisting in his stomach and gulped in air to try and ease it. Sute hummed pleasantly and lead him down the granite walk to the slate porch and through the heavy oak door. Everything looked so expensive and out of place, even for such a rich town as Konoha. Naruto thought it would be better on the cover of some Real Estate magazine rather than a place you could actually live in. The interior hall had a floor he knew was most likely real marble. He'd seen pieces of it in his Natural Science course last year.

Sute took his coat off of him herself and gestured for him to follow. She stopped just inside the grandest living room he'd ever seen. The floor was covered in lush carpet the color of cream, and the walls were a soft mauve. There were a couple of paintings that Naruto had seen in a few of his books for Art classes he'd taken over the years. Many of them had been extremely expensive as prints, let alone the real thing. One was an abstract using Color Field done by an American painter named Kenneth Noland. The other was in the same style but using different colors, by a man named Clifford Still. Naruto felt his mouth hanging open but only closed it when Sute giggled at him. He ducked his head and smiled sheepishly at her.

"I know what you're thinking. What on earth am I doing with a couple of abstract paintings like that?"

Naruto shook his head and rushed to reassure her. "No, they're great! I mean, Color Field art isn't for everyone, but these guys," he gestured wildly at the artwork, "are the best of their field. I'm amazed you have them. That's all."

She seemed to study him for a moment, and then replied, "That's right, your father mentioned how much you love art. Do you paint?"

"A little," Naruto answered, frowning. His father had talked about him? It brought to mind his behavior and the temper Naruto had seen when she'd appeared so suddenly at their door . . . . It was all so confusing. The ache and the incredible exhaustion returned full force and, suddenly, all he wanted was to see his room and go to bed.

"Uh, if you don't mind, uh . . .," Naruto waited, hoping for a cue.

Sute smiled and reached a hand out encouragingly.

"You may call me Mother, Naruto. That's who I am now," she supplied helpfully.

"Uh, Mother," Naruto tried again, though it didn't sound right just yet, "if you don't mind, I'd like to take break. Do you think I could see my room?"

"Of course. Just a few rules to go over first." He followed her further into the house a little reluctantly and listened as she spoke.

"This is the living area," she gestured back to the room over her shoulder as they left it. "It is meant for guests. There is to be no eating or drinking in this room unless I am present."

He frowned as she continued on with what seemed to be a long list of things he was not allowed to do. They turned into the kitchen. He could make that out from all the high-end stainless steel appliances gleaming on the counters. They barely looked used.

"This is the kitchen. There is to be no eating or drinking in this room either, unless I am present." While the exhaustion in his body made him feel slow, her words woke a strange, almost anxious feeling inside. Or maybe it was just that there were a lot of locks in every room they had passed. He'd noticed them on the cabinets in the living room, and they were here too: on the refrigerator, the pantry door, the freezer and the dry foods cabinets.

"Naruto, are you listening?" his mother called sharply. Startled out of his thoughts, he looked up with a jolt to find that hard stare boring into him. Her eyes narrowed, as if she was taking in every detail. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to call Kakashi up and ask him to take him away from everything, to the country or another city, as long as it was as far from this confusion as possible. He did not like it here. But then her eyes softened for the first time since he'd met her and she looked almost beautiful.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. This is probably a lot to take in, and after everything you've been through this week, you must be confused, and tired. It's just that I haven't had anyone over in so long, certainly not to stay. I'll try harder tomorrow." She smiled weakly at him and Naruto felt the pressure around his chest squeezing lightly.

"It's okay," he mumbled, "I just want some time to think."

He didn't really, but anything to take his mind off all the locks and her strange behavior. He felt drawn to her, maybe because he wanted to know more about her. At the same time he felt like he shouldn't be here alone, without help. She reached over the counter they had sat down in front of and patted his shoulder lightly.

"That's fine. I'll make you some tea. How's that? And then I'll show you to your room. There are no locks on the doors upstairs, so you're free to roam around there." She turned away to take down a shining copper kettle and before long Naruto was seated on the soft, white, leather sofa in the living room, staring at a steaming cup of tea. The scent was delicious and he remembered he hadn't eaten all day. He gulped half of it down in one swallow.

"There! It even has real peppermint in it from my garden."

"You have a garden?" Naruto couldn't stop from asking. He was naturally curious and things seemed to be going better between them. It was a little easier talking over a cup of tea in here then in the silent expanse of white in her kitchen.

"Mmm-hmm. I do. It's beautiful in the summer, full of all the prettiest flowers." She was pouring herself a cup and brushing hair away from her face and Naruto watched closely. His mother really was a striking person, even with the weird way of speaking and her strangely harsh rules. He felt calmer, almost lighter, like his body was floating. He blinked and realized he'd been falling asleep on the couch. His mother was there. _It's alright, then._ She was helping him up, saying something about a cozy room and a down-filled bed. Oh, he hadn't finished his tea, though, he tried to say. But she patted his back and he tried to get his heavy feet to respond. They'd reached another door and Naruto told himself in the back of his mind that she'd apparently gotten him up an entire flight of stairs without his realizing it, something that should have worried him a little. He sighed and drifted instantly into a heavy slumber as his head hit one of the softest pillows he'd ever had.

He awoke slowly, feeling very sluggish and wondering just how much time had passed. He tried to turn over but found his limbs were more exhausted than they'd ever been in his life. He couldn't move. Sleep dragged at his conscious thought again before he'd even opened his eyes and he sighed deeply. The feeling that something wasn't right brought him out of it quickly. Well, as quickly as his unresponsive body let it. Panic swelled inside him when he discovered he really wasn't able to lift himself up. He pried his eyes open as the springs underneath him shifted. How could that be when he couldn't even lift a finger, let alone roll over?

The hazy light from a street lamp filtered through the room and Naruto gasped sharply. He tried to call out, to say anything, but his mouth wouldn't work. The best he could do was a strangled cry from the back of his throat.

His mother was there, leaning over him, nearly sitting on top of his waist. She smiled, that much he could see in the dim glow. It was haunting, eerie and Naruto tried again to call out. He didn't understand what she thought she was doing in here. What was happening?

"Shhhh, you're home now, my sweet. Now you'll see. I'll show you. And then, you'll forget all about her," she crooned softly.

_What? Forget about who?_ Before he could gather any energy to try to buck her off, or scream, she reached a hand to his chin, tipped it upward . . . and kissed him.


End file.
